Atatürk, public opinion, and freedom

The founding philosophy of a state and the governance of a country cannot be addressed independently of its history, geography, economy, social structure, culture, and class relations. In short, as defined by our great leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, “The essential thing is the internal front,” and a society’s culture, traditions, customs, mores, and understanding of art—in short, all of these—are the internal values of that society.

When it comes to civilization, technical qualities, scientific discoveries, and developments carry more weight alongside universal values. These are also transferred from one society to another.

Based on these brief definitions, this much is certain: The Republic founded by Atatürk is, for us, modernization, enlightenment, and nation-building. It is the homeland and citizenship. For us, the Republic is also a definition of culture and civilization.

Why? Let us briefly explain…

For us, being a citizen of the Republic brings great self-confidence while simultaneously putting forward a great claim. Moreover, it imposes a great responsibility on all of us, and on a universal scale. Because the Republic seeks the most qualified, the most beautiful, the most correct, the most advanced, and the best. Because the Republic takes reason and science as its guide.

The Republic is also peace for us. Because the children of the Republic grew up with their fathers’ war memories and their grandfathers’ war epics, and they have always been proud of this, and with this experience, they have always defended peace. Because those who founded the Republic, Atatürk and his comrades-in-arms, were heroes who knew best what war was, who fought on the front lines, and who matured in wars. Aside from the defense of the homeland, they were the ones who learned best that war is murder, and they learned it on the battlefields.

For this reason, Atatürk said, “Peace at home, peace in the world.” He believed that not war, but peace would save our country and humanity.

In an interview he gave to the newspaper Minber on December 16, 1918, Atatürk said: “I accept that the best policy is to be the strongest in every sense. Do not think that by being the strongest, I only mean military strength. On the contrary, despite being a soldier, in my opinion, this strength is the last of the elements that make up the composite. What I mean is to be strong morally, scientifically, ethically, and in terms of science. Even if we assume that all individuals of a nation lacking these are equipped with the latest weapons, it is not correct to accept that it is strong.”

On March 25, 1922, Atatürk said the following in the Assembly regarding the importance of freedom of the press and public opinion: “A social community has common and general feelings and ideas. The values, levels of civilization, desires, and tendencies of social communities are understood only by the degree to which these general feelings and ideas appear and manifest. For those who govern a social community, for friends or enemies who are in a position to judge the destiny of that community, the measure is the talent and value that appear in the public opinion of that community. Therefore, nations must introduce their public opinion to the world. Knowing the entire world’s public opinion is necessary to organize life. The first and most important of the existing tools in this regard is the press. The press is the common voice of the nation. In enlightening a nation, in showing it the right path, in providing a nation with the intellectual nourishment it needs, in short, in ensuring a nation’s growth in a common direction toward happiness, the press is a power, a school, and a guide in its own right.”

On December 4, 1923, shortly after the proclamation of the Republic, Atatürk drew attention to this point in an interview he gave to the newspaper Tercüman-ı Hakikat: “The Republic is in favor of freedom of thought. We show respect for every idea, provided it is sincere and legal. Every opinion is respectable to us.”

On October 14, 1925, while answering questions from students at the İzmir Girls’ Teachers’ School, Atatürk said: “The Republic is a government based on moral virtue.”

On April 24, 1930, in a statement he gave to the newspaper Vossische Zeitung, he said: “Sovereignty cannot be established on fear. Sovereignty based on cannons does not survive. Such sovereignty, or even a dictatorship, is only necessary for a temporary period when a revolution occurs.”

In short, Atatürk, who defined the Republic as virtue and specifically described it as the protector of the unprotected, also emphasized the importance of virtue, morality, knowledge, consciousness, the common good, public interest, and freedom of thought.