The role of wars in state and nation building: The case of Turkey

Today, the concept of nation constitutes a concept that is closely related to the relations of citizens with the state, their relations among themselves and the legitimacy of states. Two different formations were effective in the emergence of the concept of nation in question. The first formation is the unit of nation that emerged spontaneously and caused by the capitalistization in Western Europe. The other is a nation unit developed as a defense tool against the threatening elements coming from the west and tending towards integrity within the framework of the understanding of "common history, common language, common culture" caused by the currents of thought and early industrialization in the French Revolution. The process of building the concept of nation in countries includes the change that occurs as a result of activities carried out in many political, military and social areas, especially in countries that desire to enter into a new structure. The formation of the concept of nation-state, on the other hand, develops depending on a common culture and history, and the process of the formation of this concept is very old. In other words, nation-state means a nation with a common identity. When the state and nation-building process is examined, especially for Turkey, it is an undeniable fact that wars have an important role in the formation of these concepts. The idea of nationalism, which gained popularity in the last years of the Ottoman Empire, formed the starting point of the formation process of national identity, and then, in terms of Turkish history, the construction of national identity continued with the realization of the National Struggle, and the ideology of Kemalism, the founder of the Republic, had a great influence on this national identity construction. In this study, the role of the warring in the nation and state building process in Turkey is explained. Keywords: Nation, Nation Building, Nation State, Turkey, War