Turkey In Focus - Discover Turkey: Experience the Best of Turkey - page 680

Atatürk
Many Western travellers remark on the Turks' devotion to Atatürk. He appears on stamps, banknotes, statues, and
seemingly every house where he stayed is a museum. In response, the Turks simply say that the Turkish state is a
result of his energy and vision, that without him there would be no Turkey. From an era that threw up Stalin, Hitler
and Mussolini, Atatürk (his name literally means 'Father Turk') stands as a beacon of statesmanship and proves that
radical reform, deftly handled, can be hugely successful. Any perceived insult to Atatürk is considered highly of-
fensive and is also illegal.
Political Unrest
Though reform proceeded apace, Turkey remained economically and militarily weak, and
avoided involvement in WWII. Following the war, the country allied itself with the USA.
A strategically important bulwark against the Soviet bloc, Turkey also fought with the
Americans against the Communist powers in Korea, receiving significant US aid and be-
coming a NATO member.
Meanwhile, democratic reform gained momentum and in 1950 the Democratic Party
swept to power. However, they became increasingly autocratic and the army intervened in
1960 to remove them. Army rule lasted only briefly, but it set the tone for years to come.
The military considered themselves the guardians of Atatürk's pro-Western, secular vision
and felt obliged to step in when necessary.
The 1960s and 1970s saw the creation of political parties of all stripes, but the profu-
sion did not make for a happy democracy. The decades of unrest finally ended in 1983,
when Turgut Özal, leader of the Motherland Party (ANAP), won a majority and set Tur-
key back on course. An astute economist and pro-Islamic, Özal made vital economic and
legal reforms that brought Turkey in line with the international community and sowed the
seeds of its current vitality.