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Turkish military officer Mustafa Kemal Ataturk leads the Turkish War of Independence
Mustafa Kemal Pasha landed in the Black Sea port of Samsun to start the War of Independence.He rallied a liberation army in Anatolia and convened the Congress of Erzurum and Sivas which established the basis for the new national effort under his leadership. -
The Ottoman Empire is defeated.
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The capital city is moved to Ankara.
Ankara is the capital because it is in the middle of the country. Ankara remained the capital of Turkey after the Turkish War of Independence -
The capital city is moved to Ankara.
Ankara is the capital because it is in the middle of the country. Ankara remained the capital of Turkey after the Turkish War of Independence when Mustafa Kemal decided that there was no need for them to move parliament to Istanbul, which had just been liberated. -
The Republic of Turkey is founded by Ataturk. He is named the first President of Turkey.
Mustafa Kemal's first order of business was to modernize and secularize Turkey, which he did by studying Western governments and adapting their structure for the people of Turkey. He believed that modernization necessarily entailed Westernization, and he established a policy of state secularism, with a constitution that separated the government from religion. -
A new Turkish constitution is passed. Religious courts are replaced by government courts
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The fez hat is outlawed.
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Women gained the right to vote and run for elected office.
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The name of Constantinople is officially changed to Istanbul.
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Turkish founding father Ataturk dies.
