ABSTRACT
Reformism denotes the ongoing commitment of the Turkish people and government to rapid but peaceful modernization. Each government restricted groups that had checked the power of previous rulers. When in 1923 Turkey became independent of any Allied occupation, Kemal was proclaimed the leader of his country. Republicanism means selecting a leader from the citizenry, in contrast to the hereditary system of the Ottoman Empire and other dynastic states. Greek nationalists in Athens wanted a reconstituted Byzantine Empire that would include Istanbul, Thrace, and western Anatolia, areas in which many Greek Christians still lived under Ottoman rule. Mustafa Kemal then served as a field officer in several campaigns, including actions in Albania and Libya. When World War I broke out, he was given command of the forces resisting the British assault on the Dardanelles. As a testament to his forcefulness, Turkey's Grand National Assembly bestowed on Kemal the honorary title of Ataturk, Father of the Turks.
