Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

<p>Mustafa Kemal was born in 1881 in Salonica (now Thessaloniki, Greece). Entering military academies in Monastir and Constantinople, he graduated as a staff captain in 1905. During World War I, Colonel Mustafa Kemal achieved legendary status by successfully repelling the Allied amphibious invasion at Gallipoli in 1915, famously telling his troops: 'I do not order you to fight, I order you to die. In the time it takes us to die, other troops and commanders can come forward and take our places.'</p><p>Following the Ottoman Empire's defeat and the Allied occupation of Istanbul and Anatolia, Kemal landed at Samsun on May 19, 1919, launching the Turkish War of Independence. Establishing the Grand National Assembly in Ankara, he led Turkish armed forces to victory against invading Greek armies at the Battle of the Sakarya (1921) and the Great Offensive (1922), securing the Treaty of Lausanne and national sovereignty.</p><p>Proclaiming the Republic of Turkey on October 29, 1923, President Atatürk enacted one of the most radical modernization programs in 20th-century history: abolishing the Caliphate, adopting the Swiss Civil Code, replacing the Arabic script with a Latin alphabet, granting women full parliamentary voting rights, and making science the guide of national education. He passed away on November 10, 1938, in Dolmabahçe Palace, leaving behind an immortal legacy.</p>