Press in Turkey's modernization process:modernization discourse in the Ulus Newspaper

This study discusses the effects on "Turkish Modernization" of the news reports published in the newspaper which was first issued in the name of "İrade-i Milliye" on September 14, 1919, then in the name of "Hakimiyet-i Milliye" on January 10, 1920 and then in the name of Ulus on November 28, 1934 in accordance with the language revolution. The news content referring to modernization discourse and published in Ulus Newspaper between 1935-1938, which conveyed the views of the government and presented the new democratic principles to the society, are analyzed using critical discourse analysis method. In the first part of the study, the historical dynamics of the modernization phenomenon are addressed focusing on the concept of modernization-westernization. The development of the West through the modernization movements based on the Renaissance and Reform in the XVI and XVII centuries and later on the Industrial Revolution, the modernization attempts that followed the regressions of the Ottoman Empire and the history of such attempts up until to the republican era constitute the basis of this part. In this context, the Ottoman-Turkish modernization process is examined in this section. In the second part of the work, the modernization of the Republican Period is emphasized. In this regard, the political, economic, legal, social and cultural developments of the modernization of the Republican Period are examined in this section. On the other hand, the general situation of the 1930's and the national identity aimed to be created in that period are also mentioned in this section. Additionally, the second part outlines the role of the press in the modernization process in general terms. In the analysis section of the study, the history of Ulus Newspaper, the publication objectives and the publication policy were examined considering the conditions of the period. The choosen news reports, published between 1935-1938, in the Ulus Newspaper containing the discourse of modernization are analyzed with the method of critical discourse analysis. Findings obtained in the result of the study are evaluated in the context of the theoretical background described in the first and second part of the study. As a result, it is revealed that the news in the Ulus newspaper, which is the official publication of the single party government, played an important role in reflecting a national consciousness, in the improvement and development of Turkey in the context of modernization and in reflecting the excitement of the revolutions achieved. However, it is concluded that the news containing the discourse of modernization in the Ulus newspaper in the context of the emphasis on Atatürk's significance in the revolutions and modernization movements and on the discourse of rejecting the Ottoman legacy, the affirmation of Turkish modernization and the reproduction of the discourses of the government were found to be important determinants. Key words: Modernization, westernization, press, Kemalism, Ulus Newspaper.