ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the phases of the evolution of the place of Gallipoli in Turkish politics, society and culture. It contends that disputes over the meaning of the spirit of anakkale are emblematic of the general trends in the identity politics of Turkey. A recent survey revealed that the majority of the Turkish middle-school students supposed the anakkale Battle was part of the War of Independence. The Turkish educated public was familiar with the Allied perspective on the Gallipoli Campaign through the Turkish translations of influential books and reports. The diplomatic process undoubtedly aroused intellectual interest in the Gallipoli Campaign. It took more than Turkification policies to build a nation-state and the appropriation of the historical legacy was just as important. A new Turkey emerged in the 1980s, based on Mustafa Kemal Atatrk nationalism under the secularist tutelage of the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and the high judiciary.
