Kemal Atatürk’s birth name was Mustafa. He was born in Salonika, Macedonia, which was back then the part of the Ottoman Empire. He was the one of two children of Ali Riza and Zubeyde. His sister’s name was Makbule. His father, who was 20 years older then his mother, was a customs official and died in 1888. Mustafa’s mother wanted him to go to an Islamic school, but Mustafa wanted to have a military career. He went to a military secondary school at 12 years old. Mustafa was then given the name Kemal that meant “perfect”. After that, Mustafa Kemal went to the war college in Istanbul in 1

899. Then he went to a staff college for training as an advanced field officer. During his attendance in the war college and the staff college, he entered in many anti-Ottoman government activities that opposed Sultan Abdul Hamid. He read literature that was banned and secretly helped to write an anti-government newspaper. Three years later, Kemal graduated and his activities were exposed. He was allowed to follow his career in Syria where he could not pose any trouble. But there he still spread his ideas.

When World War 1 started the Ottoman Empire entered it on the side of the Central Powers. Kemal insisted that Turkey stay neutral but things didn‘t go his way. The following year the Allied Powers attempted to capture the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul, and open a route from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. They failed because Kemal occupied the area and successfully counterattacked them to drive them out. Another time when the Allies landed at Suvla Bay, Kemal still succeeded in stopping the advance. Kemal also fought in the Caucasus. There he successfully stopped a Russian offensive. Because he saved Istanbul and did not let the Allies get to the Black Sea, Kemal was awarded the silver medal by the sultan. Kemal became a stronger part of the Central Power’s in 1917 when he and the Ottoman Crown Prince Vahideddin went to a visit in Germany. By doing this he had entered himself in the highest level of the Ottoman government.

One year later Kemal fully controlled the troops in Syria and they were still fighting with the British after the Moudros Armistice ended the war. This forced the Ottoman Empire to give up half of its territory, disband the army, and to let the Allies to occupy locations. After this the Allies began dividing the empire. Kemal used his governmental connections to start an opposition to the Allies

Some topics in this essay:
Law Kemal, Kemal Atatürk, Mustafa Kemal, Ottoman Empire, Riza Zubeyde, Anatolian Plateau, Central Powers, Abdul Hamid, East Europe, Turkey Kemal’s, ottoman empire, mustafa kemal, turkey modern, turkey modern nation, start opposition, central powers, war college, anatolian plateau, istanbul kemal, kemal turkey, mustafa kemal atatürk, staff college,