ataturk started fascism in turkey

Submitted by susan (Italy), May 25, 2007 at 11:47

before you get excited about a man that at best can be lined up together with mussolini and hitler, read the rest of the brilliant things ataturk did

http://www.aihgs.com/kemal.htm

The Turkish Janissary Corps (TURK OCAKLARI) was responsibIe for the organisation of these conferences. In one of his speeches at a ceremony on 23 April 1930, the President of the Turkish Janissary Corps, Abdullah Suphi Tanriover, made the following statement establishing the parallel between Fascism in Italy and the developments in Turkey:

A form of nationalism, also known as Fascism, has appeared in Italy after a very difficult struggle. We see some of our own political and social ideas as being similar to aspects of this movement. Fascism concerns economic, political and social harmony based on the ideal of the 'motherland'. Like the Fascist youth, nationalist Turkish youth will also take up arms and will defend the Turkish revolution against anything that threatens it. We see both our past and our future in the enthusiasm of Fascism. (3)

While this ideology was created within Turkey, friends and enemies were also identifed according to TURK'UN TURK'TEN BASKA DOSTU YOKTUR (The only friends of Turks are Turks). Internal enemies were identifed as communists, socialists, Muslim fundamentalists, Kurds and other ethnic minorities such as Armenians, Lazes, Greeks and Suryanis. (4) Attacks were launched against these groups. Anybody who opposed these ideas was immediately removed. As a result of the assimilation policy, anybody who did not speak Turkish was punished. BIR TURK DUNYAYA BEDELDIR (One Turk is worth all the world) and NE MUTLU TURK'UM DIYENE (What a happiness to say that I am Turkish) became the slogans of the day.

Minorities are portrayed as 'threats to the Turkish society' and treated correspondingly. On the same line one can also see Turkey's involvement in ethnic violence in the 'new Republics' which were created after the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Racism is prohibited in Turkey and abroad by the Turkish state. Racism is defined and portrayed as being identical to anti-Turkish sentiment. This kind of racism is combatted. All other kinds of racism, especially those directed against minorities in Turkey itself, are neglected or even supported. Certainly, we may speak here of a double standard.

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