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Nationalism spreads to Turkey
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World War 1 ends
The Ottoman empire was forced to give up all of its territories except Turkey. Turkish lands included the old Turkish homeland of Anatolia and a small strip of land around Istanbul. (Ignore month and day of the date) -
Greek solidiers conquer Ottoman Empire
Greek solidiers dealt a death blow to the Ottoman Empire. They invaded and threatened to conquer it. The Turkish sultan, weak and corrupt, was powerless to stop them. (Ignore month and day in the date) -
Mustafa Kemal
A brilliant commander, Mustafa Kemal, led Turkish nationalists in overthrowing the last Ottoman sultan. (Ignore month and day in the date) -
Mustafa Kemal becomes president of the new republic of Turkey
He ushered in many sweeping reforms to achieve his goal of transforming Turkey into a modern nation. Kemal separated the laws of Islam from the laws of the nation. He abolished religious courts and created a new legal system based on European law. Under Kemal, women gained more freedom. He granted women the right to vote and hold public office. Kemal also launched government-funded programs to industrialize Turkey and to spur economic growth. (Ignore month and day of the date) -
Mastafa Kemal dies
From his leadership, Turkey gained a new sense of its national identity. His influence was so strong that the Turkish people gave him the name Ataturk - "father of the Turks."