Two Victorious War Leaders: De Gaulle and Atatürk

Year 1992, Issue: 22, 51 - 59, 01.05.1992

Sina Akşin

https://doi.org/10.1501/Intrel_0000000214

Abstract

Two Victorious War Leaders: De Gaulle and Atatürk

Abstract

On the occasion of the centennial of the former French President
Charles de Gaulle's birth, I would like to offer a comparison between
Atatürk, the national hero of Turkey, and de Gaulle, the national hero of
France. Although the two great statesmen lived and acted at different periods
of history, they belong more or less to the same half-century and were,
therefore, subject to roughly similar political and social forces. Comparing
them can be considered useful to better understand the distinguished persons
as well as their times.
Allow me to describe first the circumstances of Atatürk's times. The
First World War had ended with the defeat of the Ottoman Empire. Soon afta
the signing of the armistice of Mudros (30 October 1918), large sections of
Turkey which until then had not yet been invaded, were occupied by the
Allies-for instance, Eastem Thrace, the Adana region, Hatay, Antep, Maraş,
Urfa, Mosul, Antalya, Fethiye, Marmaris, Bodrum and Konya. In many
places the Allies (England, France, Italy) had small military detachments
and/or control officers. The Arab possessions of the Ottoman Empire had
already been occupied during the fıghting before the armistice. For the Turks,
this was certainly a very grave situation.  

Keywords

Two Victorious War Leader, De Gaulle, Atatürk