Forward to the past
Can Turkey’s past glories be revived by its grandiose Islamist president?
Jan 3rd 2015 | ANKARA | From the print edition
“I DON’T order you to fight, I order you to die.” With those words Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, rallied his troops against the British-led forces fighting for the Dardanelles in 1915 during the first world war, when Turkey was allied to Germany. Ataturk’s men won the battle for the straits, but the Ottoman empire lost the war. As millions of Turks prepare to mark the centenary of the battle of Gallipoli—the bloodiest of the campaign—on April 25th, many will hail it as the moment when the seeds of Ataturk’s secular republic were planted.
More:Turkey’s future: Forward to the past | The Economist
