Ataturk as a leader
“A ruined land on the edge of a precipice …bloody battles with various enemies … years of struggle and then, respected at home and abroad, a new country, a new society, a new state, and to achieve these, ceaseless reforms – this is, in a word, the Turkish Revolution.”
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
1. Introduction
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the commander of the Turkish War of Independence, is still considered by many Turks as their national hero and a great leader. Even after 75 years since his death, Ataturk’s statues are found in each town centre in Turkey and his framed portraits are hung in every government building including schools, banks and hospitals. Turkish school children still pledge allegiance to him at the beginning of each school day. On the anniversary of his death (10 Nov 1938) Turkish newspapers still border their front pages with black, and at 9.05 am (the time of his death) the whole country still shows its respect for this immortal leader with one minute of silence.
Today Ataturk is mostly remembered as a nation builder and a reformer. However his military leadership before and during the Turkish War of Independence initially granted him the ‘leader’ status. During that time, he was known as Mustafa Kemal.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which Mustafa Kemal was an effective military leader. Therefore, first I will explore the definition of leadership. Secondly, I will identify the common characteristics of an effective military leader and at last I will examine Mustafa Kemal’s qualities against those characteristics.
2. Military Leadership
2.1 Definition
There is no single agreed definition for leadership. The evolution of leadership theories portrays a variety of approaches. The Great Man approach, based on the concept developed by Thomas Carlyle (1901), argues that leadership is hereditary. Leaders are born, not made, and that history can only be explained in terms of great leaders who brought about changes in the
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
1. Introduction
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the commander of the Turkish War of Independence, is still considered by many Turks as their national hero and a great leader. Even after 75 years since his death, Ataturk’s statues are found in each town centre in Turkey and his framed portraits are hung in every government building including schools, banks and hospitals. Turkish school children still pledge allegiance to him at the beginning of each school day. On the anniversary of his death (10 Nov 1938) Turkish newspapers still border their front pages with black, and at 9.05 am (the time of his death) the whole country still shows its respect for this immortal leader with one minute of silence.
Today Ataturk is mostly remembered as a nation builder and a reformer. However his military leadership before and during the Turkish War of Independence initially granted him the ‘leader’ status. During that time, he was known as Mustafa Kemal.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which Mustafa Kemal was an effective military leader. Therefore, first I will explore the definition of leadership. Secondly, I will identify the common characteristics of an effective military leader and at last I will examine Mustafa Kemal’s qualities against those characteristics.
2. Military Leadership
2.1 Definition
There is no single agreed definition for leadership. The evolution of leadership theories portrays a variety of approaches. The Great Man approach, based on the concept developed by Thomas Carlyle (1901), argues that leadership is hereditary. Leaders are born, not made, and that history can only be explained in terms of great leaders who brought about changes in the
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