Ataturk
 

Is it time to forget him and his legacy ?

Re: Ataturk
 

Well, I wouldn't say so, Scot. As far as I can tell, his main legacy was to drag the country into the 20th Century and to sideline the religious fanatics. I know the 20th Century is long gone, but parts of Europe are still in it. It's many years since I visited Turkey - as a backpacker - but I can't say I found it much more backward than parts of Greece and Italy - and much less backward than parts of the former Turkish Empire.

Re: Ataturk
 

Erdogan and his lot are determined to reverse the changes introduced by the great Kemal. And, it seems, to re-establish the Ottoman Empire.

Re: Ataturk
 

Good luck with that, eh?

The Turks went overboard in revering Ataturk, at times. I don't know if they still have it, but when we was there several decades ago we visited the Ataturk Museum in Ankara - in which we viewed a yellowed (with age) pair of the great man's boxer underpants. Yes! A bit OTT, yes? I have blogged*** about one or two of the incidents from our backpacking time in the country, but not that one.
*** "Halfway to Mt Ararat" in the Archive of January 2012, was one.

Re: Ataturk
 

They can't, won't and shouldn't. Kemal Mustafa is like George Washington to them, the father of modern Turkiye. I've been there twice, and his legacy runs far and deep, having established so many institutions and government structures.

Re: Ataturk
 

Passing disrespectful comments in Turkey about Ataturk, will get you in a fair bit of hot water. Definitely not as much as disrespecting the King of Thailand though!

Re: Ataturk
 

Use of e-mail as an address is against forum rules.
as for Ataturk it seems to me that his role has been devalued in the last 20 or so years. He was formerly up there in the Pantheon of the Immortals.

Re: Ataturk
 

Ataturk is still revered. His photo is on the wall in nearly every house and most offices. Statues of him in every town. I imagine they would love to have him back. It was he who split the state administration from the Church and entrusted keeping the secular system with the army. The powers of the Military have been gradually neutered by 'Arty' . Ataturk said that anyone can believe in any fairy story they want , as long as they do not push it on to others.

Re: Ataturk
 

Erdogan has been doing everything in his power to move away from Secularism.