Ataturk's social revolutions and reactions (1923-1938)

The cadres of the Republic set out to build a modern nation as soon as they founded the new Turkish state. Based on this idea, revolutions that would lead to radical changes in the daily life of the society followed one after another. Education and training came first among the priority elements in the construction of a modern national society. Schools, Community Centers/People's Houses, National Schools, faculties and institutes opened with the aim of ensuring that the civilian population internalizes the new regime changed the mindset of the Turkish nation to a great extent. Activities carried out in the fields of music, painting, sculpture, language and history made significant contributions to the destruction of habitual perceptions among people. The society in general tried to integrate into the socio-cultural revolutions and supported them. A sociological axis shift occurred through the actions supported by the broad masses. However, the approval and implementation of the alphabet revolution was not as easy as other social innovations. Atatürk made great efforts to convince his close circle, the press and the public in order to spread the use of the new Turkish letters. One of the revolutions that took place gradually and with public preparation was the regulation of dress codes. A cautious approach was taken by the political power during the bans on veils, chadors and black underwear in city centers. During the Single Party period, the appearance of the society was revised from top to bottom. The biggest reaction in dress codes was shown to the hat. The uprisings that broke out in many parts of Anatolia were suppressed with strict measures, as in Rize. The religious order institutions that were closed in accordance with the basic philosophy of "centralization of Islam" continued their existence to a certain extent, albeit illegally. The Turkish prayer project, which was carried out in an integrated manner with the language revolution, led to heated discussions. As can be understood from the Bursa incident, the application of the Turkish call to prayer, one of the important apparatuses of the mentioned project, did not find much response from the public. Despite the activities that were not accepted or well-received, the "Turkish Revolution" was described as the most humanist formation among its contemporaries. Key Words: Nation Society, Education, Changes in Dress and Hat, Sufism, Worship in the Mother Tongue.