ATATÜRK'S UNIVERSAL IMMORTALITY

On March 17, 1937, Atatürk said, “For any individual to be content and happy in life, they must work not for themselves but for those who will come after them.” And so, our great leader achieved immortality, leaving behind a country that "rose from its ashes."

What kind of force set everything into motion? Can you imagine the conditions Atatürk grew up in—both in his inner and outer worlds?

The already complex life of the people, influenced by both the West in cities like Thessaloniki and Istanbul and the deep-rooted traditions of Islam, was further burdened by war, poverty, chaos, uncertainty, and personal ego-driven conflicts, creating a sorrowful nation. It is believed that Mustafa Kemal associated this external reality with the image of a “grieving mother who lost her other children” in his own spiritual world. Losing his father at an early age led him to resolve his inner conflicts and shape his idealized "majestic self." Sociological research has shown that great success often emerges from challenging life experiences.

A majestic person is one who not only succeeds in the real world but also achieves internal and external harmony, transforming the world. An important detail is that a group exposed to traumatic events often provides the ground for the emergence of great leaders. When the apprentice is ready, the master appears. However, unlike destructive leaders such as Hitler, who needed an enemy to elevate themselves and their followers, Atatürk was globally recognized as a different kind of leader.

As you may know, he initially attended a school that followed Islamic traditions to fulfill his mother’s wishes, but later, thanks to his father’s insistence despite social pressures, he was enrolled in Şemsi Efendi School, which provided a Western-style education. This is where everything truly began—his self-concept emerged, and with his natural intelligence and self-discipline, he advanced toward excellence.

Did you know that even on the battlefield, Atatürk continued reading and had a personal library of over 4,000 books? Since his military school years, he was deeply interested in subjects like mathematics, geometry, literature, languages, religion, philosophy, science, and especially history. From a young age, he studied Turkish and world history, reading both local and foreign historians. As with everything else, he did not just read—he actively researched the origins of Turkish history, dedicating his later years to this pursuit.

Now, let’s return to his youth. Despite an intense military education, he was always engaged with social and political events. This is why, when he requested an assignment in the Western army, he was exiled to Syria for three years. Upon returning to Thessaloniki, his assignment was far from his dreams—inspecting railway lines. Later, he was sent to Tripoli in a political exile, yet he returned victorious. His new military strategies, knowledge of foreign languages, and tireless dedication made him influential in suppressing the March 31 Incident and the Macedonian uprisings, yet he still remained in the shadow of his rival, Enver Pasha. These two vastly different personalities had crossed paths on the stage of history.

While serving on the front lines during Italy’s invasion of Ottoman lands in North Africa, he was taken to Vienna due to malaria and vision problems. Meanwhile, after the defeat in Tripoli, chaos erupted in the Balkans. The disagreement between the weakened Committee of Union and Progress and the Sultan presented an opportunity for Serbia, Bulgaria, and Greece. The ethnically and religiously diverse Ottoman territories were destabilized by nationalist movements and rivalries. In September 1912, the Balkan Wars began. In November, Atatürk’s birthplace, Thessaloniki, fell… Istanbul was overwhelmed with refugees, and the army was weakened.

As the world plunged into war, the Ottoman Empire was unprepared. Under pressure, Enver Pasha, siding with Germany, ordered the fleet into action. Following an attack on two of its ports, Russia declared war on the Ottomans. Though Enver Pasha had a grand personality, Mustafa Kemal was more controlled, objective, and strategically intelligent.

Enver Pasha's failures in the Caucasus and Egypt validated Atatürk’s military foresight. After much persistence, he was finally appointed as commander of the 19th Division. While the Middle East was under the control of Allied Powers, the Mediterranean saw the greatest naval force gathering. The British planned to capture Istanbul via the Gallipoli Peninsula.

This was when Mustafa Kemal’s majestic personality emerged on the world stage. His ability to foresee strategic points, his unwavering leadership, and his capacity to inspire his soldiers changed the fate of the war and his people. When a retreating Turkish unit ran out of ammunition, he ordered, “If you have no bullets, you have bayonets. I order you to die.” With his ability to manage attention, give meaning to a cause, demonstrate credibility, and persuade with realism, he altered the course of history. During the battle, he was shot in the chest, but a pocket watch saved his life. This was the moment his immortality began.

Even reading about the current wars, sieges, and hardships is terrifying. How did our ancestors endure them? The Greeks had landed in Izmir, cities in the east and south were lost, and internal conflicts escalated. The stories we think we know are, in fact, incomplete. Something had to be done—many things, in fact. His journey to Samsun, though seemingly a forced assignment, would later be seen as his rebirth. It was only the beginning of the end…

In this climate, the traumatized society embraced its Majestic Leader. Establishing a national assembly while a sultan was still in power, declaring a republic, abolishing the caliphate in a conservative society, creating a new alphabet and teaching it—these transformations required unimaginable effort, knowledge, experience, genius, strength, and determination. Thus began the second liberation of our country—a social revolution. Together with his comrades, Atatürk followed his military victories with political and social modernization. Though he had fought against the Western powers, he later adopted their educational and scientific advancements—an ironic but pragmatic and professional decision.

Just 45 days after the great victory, he told teachers in Bursa, “From now on, our greatest victories will not be won with bayonets but with knowledge, science, and intelligence.” He didn’t just emphasize science and development—he actively ensured progress by importing books from abroad. His evening gatherings always included a blackboard, and he would engage in long discussions on subjects like language, history, and geometry. He tirelessly worked for new initiatives. Revolutionary changes did not fall from the sky—they were the result of relentless effort.

Long before it became mainstream, Atatürk emphasized the importance of scientific progress and adapting to change. Even Albert Einstein, in a letter, addressed him as "Your loyal servant, Prof. Albert Einstein." In a conversation at Princeton University in 1949, Einstein said, "You had the greatest leader in the world. He invited me to the 1933 university reform." Atatürk even offered salaries three times higher than the parliamentary wage to Jewish scientists fleeing Nazi Germany.

As the 10th anniversary of the Republic approached, legal, agricultural, industrial, and educational reforms accelerated. Total production increased by 80%, coal by 100%, chrome by 600%, and iron production rose from zero to 180,000 tons. The country, once buried under the ruins of war, was reborn from its ashes.

Atatürk’s contributions to Turkish women extended far beyond legal rights—he personally ensured their equal participation in education and society.

His health deteriorated in 1938, yet he continued working tirelessly to resolve the Hatay issue. On November 9, he fell into a coma. His last words were: “What time is it?” At 9:05 on November 10, time became eternal.

Because Atatürk lives on in every word, every child, every woman, and in every tree that grows in this land.

With my deepest respect…