Every sentence in Speech, the work of our country’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in which he resurrected a dying nation and started the War of Independence and then the establishment of the Turkish Republic, undoubtedly sheds light on the present day. Here are some words from Nutuk that need to be pondered over and over again.
The Ottoman Empire, which ruled all over the world for hundreds of years, took the final blow by losing the First World War after the decline period it entered and came to the brink of extinction. At this point, as a leader who will rekindle the fighting spirit of the Turkish nation. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk emerged and organized the nation that had not already surrendered to the occupation. He started the War of Independence.
On May 19, 1919, Atatürk’s landing in Samsun, the start of the War of Independence, the establishment of the Turkish Republic and the subsequent revolutions are explained in detail in the work named Nutuk, written by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk himself. Rather than a memoir, Nutuk is a work that sheds light on the present day with every sentence. Here are some words from Nutuk that need to be pondered over and over again.
- The words are taken from the editions translated into modern Turkish.
Nutuk quotes that shed light on the future:
‘You, the young sons of the new Turkey! Even if you get tired, you will follow me…’
‘Nation affairs, state affairs cannot be done by begging for justice and pitying others; The honor and independence of the nation and state cannot be secured.’
‘During the meal, I said, “Tomorrow we will declare a republic!” The friends who were present immediately agreed with my idea.’
‘The Republic of Turkey will prove that it is worthy of its place in the world with the works it will succeed.’
‘Lords, our nation, the Turkish nation, which has been subjected to injustice and slaughter in the east for centuries, was considered to be deprived of its inherent qualities. Our nation will be able to more easily show its qualities and value to the world of civilization with the new name of the government. The Republic of Turkey will prove that it is worthy of its place in the world with the works it will succeed.’
‘To talk too much about future possibilities would have given our real and material struggle the quality of an imaginary adventure.’
‘Lords, by the way, I advise my beloved nation that it should not fail for a moment to carefully analyze the core substance in the blood and conscience of the men that he will raise up above his head by raising him in his bosom!’
‘The basic principle is that the Turkish nation should live as a dignified and honorable nation.’
‘There is no defensive line, there is a defensive area. That area is the whole country. Every inch of the land of the country cannot be left to the enemy unless it is wet with the blood of the citizen.’
‘The great dead don’t need mourning, they need commitment to their ideas.’
‘The task in question can no longer be carried out under the cover of official authority and uniform. It is necessary to come out openly and shout loudly for the rights of the nation and get the whole nation to join this voice.’
‘Weak and cowardly people cause the nation to be inactive and to stand aside in the face of any disaster.’
‘People, what will you do if success is not achieved even after applying all kinds of initiatives and sacrifices that can be designed and made?’
‘The Lausanne Peace Treaty…’
The Peace Treaty of Lausanne is a document declaring the collapse of a great act of destruction against the Turkish nation, which has been prepared for centuries and thought to have been completed with the Treaty of Sèvres. It is an unprecedented work of political victory in Ottoman history!’
‘Sirs, my faith and confidence that we will surely defeat the enemies who want to enslave our poor nation has not been shaken for a minute. At this moment, I declare my full faith to your supreme council, to the whole nation, and to the whole world.’
‘A nation willing to die for its future; humanity finds hope by making all the sacrifices that are necessary for its dignity and honor, and there is no doubt that it will have a completely different place in the eyes of friends and enemies compared to a sluggish, dishonest nation that puts the chain of captivity around its neck with its own hand.’
‘Seeing me means…’
‘Seeing me is not necessarily seeing my face. If you understand my ideas and my feelings thats enough.’
‘However, when the life and death of the whole country and a whole nation is in question, is there room for those who say “I am a patriot” to think about their own end?’
‘It means complete independence…’
‘Full independence, of course, means full independence and freedom in all fields such as politics, finance, economy, justice, military service and culture. In any of these I have mentioned, the lack of independence means the complete lack of independence of the nation and country.’
‘Working for the continuation of the Ottoman dynasty and its reign…’
‘Trying to continue the Ottoman dynasty and reign was, of course, to commit the greatest evil against the Turkish nation. Because, although the nation gained its independence by risking all kinds of sacrifices, if the reign continued, this independence could not be regarded as won. How could it be tolerated that a lot of crazy people who have no conscience or ideas with the homeland and nation, are kept in the position of guardians of the independence and dignity of the state and nation?’
‘They were ignorant; because…’
‘They were ignorant; because they could not appreciate that the only basis of salvation is and will be the nation. By flattering the Sultan, appearing nice to strangers, being gentle and kind, they were showing the negligence that great goals can achieve.’
‘Sirs, with this speech, I tried to explain how a great nation whose national existence was deemed to have come to an end gained its independence and how it established a national and modern state based on the latest principles of science and technology.’
‘O son of the Turkish future!’: Address to the Youth
‘O Turkish youth! Your first duty; It is to preserve and defend the Turkish independence, the Turkish Republic, forever.
This is the very foundation of your existence and your future. This foundation is your most precious treasure. Even in the future, you will have internal and external evils who will want to deprive you of this treasure. One day, if you have to defend your independence and the republic, you will not think about the possibilities and conditions of the situation you will be in in order to take office. This possibility and circumstance can manifest in a very unfavorable manner. Enemies who will attack the independence and the republic can be the representatives of an unprecedented victory all over the world. By force and deception, all the castles of the holy homeland may have been captured, all its shipyards may have been entered, all its armies may have been dispersed, and every corner of the country may have been occupied. More grievous and worse than all these circumstances, those who have power in the country can be heedless, misguided and even treacherous. These rulers may even unite their personal interests with the political ambitions of the trustees. The nation may be devastated and exhausted in poverty.
O son of the Turkish future! Even in these circumstances, your duty is to save the Turkish independence and republic. The strength you need in the noble blood in your veins.’
The founder of our country, the great leader Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, He sheds light on the future from his work, Nutuk, in which he describes the years of the national struggle and its aftermath. and we shared some words that need to be thought over and over again. You can share your thoughts about Nutuk in the comments.
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