Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938) was a Turkish military officer and revolutionary statesman who founded the Republic of Turkey and served as its first president (1923–1938). Rising to prominence during World War I, he later led the Turkish National Movement in the War of Independence (1919–1923), which resulted in the establishment of a new state after the Ottoman Empire’s collapse. As president, he pursued wide-ranging reforms that reshaped Turkey’s political and social institutions, including the abolition of the sultanate and caliphate and the adoption of the Latin-based Turkish alphabet. Atatürk is also known for major speeches and political writings, notably *Nutuk* (“The Speech,” 1927).