The role and effect of the village institutes at the nation state creation process in Turkey

The progress of the nation-state in Turkey had been started by Mustafa Kemal and his friends? public movement, following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire afterwards the World War I. By the end of the Turkish Independence War, Republic had been declared as the new government style of the new state.The structure of the society, which had been absorbed by the new administration was highly dependent to tradition and customs and was in a poor situation over socially and economically. After the big campaign to obtain the Independence, the next step had been chosen to battle on education and culture, to become a modern civilization. The Ratio of the literacy at society was too low. The new administration accepted Latin alphabet to solve this problem and started a great campaign for education.Reforms in the culture area had succeeded important changes over the structure of the society. To appropriate the reforms to the society, and to educate people about the ideology of republic, the administration embarked political functions to the education.Village Institutes was built in 1940 and focussed over occupational education. This institutes helped people to embraced democracy with employing democratic education methods. To take advantage of the historical conditions, its target was to make conscious people and to create free individuals.Village Institutes which had worked successfully until 1947; had been attacked along with accede of the right wing part which was inside of the People's Republican Party. Starting to make conscious public and enlightenment those by the teachers from Village Institutes disturbed the landowners. The Democratic Party had followed the opposite attitude to the Village Institutes, when it was acceded after the elections, just like the same before the 1950 elections and in 1954 they enclosed these institutes entirely.In this thesis, the historical background of the creation of the nation-state has analyzed and the state-wanted citizen profile has discussed. The role of the Village Institutes in this process is encouraging political participation by causing conscious of citizenship to the people. The influence of these institutes, was trying to save people being slaves and to help them to become honourable compatriot of substantive nation.