Influence of Ziya Gökalp's nationalism perspective on Turkish foreign policy (1923-1938)

Nationalism is an ideology with substantial effects in all aspects of society and state since its emergence. Indeed, nationalism has brought new approaches to intellectuals and decision-makers since the day of its inception. Although it was the key to gaining independence for many nations, it was also used as an opportunity for the destruction of multinational empires. Coinciding with the Ottoman Empire's period of regression, the rise of nationalism also deeply affected the Ottomans as a multinational empire. Intellectuals and decision-makers of the era developed and implemented various movements to save the empire. Among these movements called Ottomanism, Islamism and Turkism, the movement of Turkism had been the latest trend and the last resort. Nonetheless, it spread rapidly and created deep effects thanks to the Turkist intellectuals of the period. One of the most important Turkist writers of the period, Gökalp conducted many studies to inform the public, create a national Turkish identity and influence decision-makers. As a result of these studies he was referred to as the unofficial ideologist of the official Republican People's Party of the Committee of Union and Progress. Gökalp's systematic thinking system affected the Republic of Turkey in many areas. One of the most important of these effects was in the field of foreign policy. Indeed, Turkish foreign policy of the period was influenced and shaped by Gökalp's comprehensive and systematic thinking structure. This doctoral thesis is designed to elaborate on Ziya Gökalp's view of nationalism and to investigate the elements that affected his modernist nationalist understanding. In this line, answers will be sought for the following questions: Did Gökalp's understanding of nationalism affect the objectives and principles of Turkish foreign policy in 1923-1938? Are the principles of Turkish foreign policy clearly visible in the developments of the period? What are the effects of Gökalp's understanding of nationalism on Turkish foreign policy in 1923-1938? Key Words: Ziya Gökalp, nationalism, Turkish foreign policy