![Atatürk 1927'de Nutuk'u okuyor](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Atat%C3%BCrk_1927%27de_Nutuk%27u_okuyor.jpg)
''Nutuk'' (known as ''A Speech'' or ''The Speech'' in English) was a speech delivered by
Ghazi Mustafa Kemal
Ghazi or Gazi ( ar, غازى), a title given to Muslim warriors or champions and used by several Ottoman Sultans, may refer to:
*Ghazi (warrior), an Islamic term for the Muslim soldier who crusades for their religion, land or territory
People G ...
from 15 to 20 October 1927, at the second congress of
Republican People's Party
The Republican People's Party ( tr, Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, , acronymized as CHP ) is a Kemalist and social-democratic political party in Turkey which currently stands as the main opposition party. It is also the oldest political party ...
. The speech covered the events between the start of the
Turkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence "War of Liberation", also known figuratively as ''İstiklâl Harbi'' "Independence War" or ''Millî Mücadele'' "National Struggle" (19 May 1919 – 24 July 1923) was a series of military campaigns waged by th ...
on 19 May 1919, and the foundation of the
Republic of Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, in 1923. It took thirty-six hours (on a 6 day span) to be read by Atatürk, and became a foundation of
Kemalist historiography
Kemalist historiography () is a narrative of history mainly based on a six-day speech delivered by Mustafa Kemal tatürkin 1927, promoted by the political ideology of Kemalism, and influenced by Atatürk's cult of personality. It asserts th ...
. Nutuk marked a turning point of
Turkish nationalism
Turkish nationalism ( tr, Türk milliyetçiliği) is a political ideology that promotes and glorifies the Turkish people, as either a Turkey#Demographics, national, Turkish people, ethnic, or Turkish language, linguistic group. The term "ultrana ...
by introducing a series of new myths and concepts into the vernacular of public discourse, such as republic, democracy, sovereignty of the nation, and secularism. Atatürk designated these concepts as the 'most precious treasures' of Turkish people, the 'foundations' of their new state, and the preconditions of their future 'existence' in his speech.
Context
Mustafa Kemal begins his speech by describing the situation of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
when he landed at
Samsun
Samsun, historically known as Sampsounta ( gr, Σαμψούντα) and Amisos (Ancient Greek: Αμισός), is a List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, city on the north coast of Turkey and is a major Black Sea port. In 2021, Samsun reco ...
to start the
Turkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence "War of Liberation", also known figuratively as ''İstiklâl Harbi'' "Independence War" or ''Millî Mücadele'' "National Struggle" (19 May 1919 – 24 July 1923) was a series of military campaigns waged by th ...
in 1919:
He argues that the Ottoman Empire is on its death throes by 1919. The people and the army keep loyal to the Sultan who was guilty of treachery, due to centuries old traditions and dogmas:
He asserts that Turkey can only be respected by other powers if it achieves independence:
Criticizing certain predominant ideas among the Ottoman populace regarding the continued existence of the Ottoman state, particularly about favoring being either an American or British protectorate, he explains his rejection to such ideas and puts forward his reasoning for the founding of a Turkish state:
Atatürk ended the speech by conveying
his message to Turkish youth.
Analysis
According to Turkish historian Hakan Uzun, Nutuk is an embodiment of the core values of the nation that Atatürk has embraced. The speech covers the importance of national unity to both the National Movement and the republic. The National Movement, with the goal of achieving independence and unity through the pursue of sovereignty, has done so with a defensive position rather than an aggressive one via a lawful foundation.
According to Turkish sociologist
Fatma Müge Göçek
Fatma Müge Göçek is a Turkish sociologist and professor at the University of Michigan. She wrote the book Denial of Violence in 2015 concerning the prosectution of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire and Turkey, for which she received the Mary Do ...
, the speech was "adopted as the official Turkish national narrative and became sacralized by the state". Göçek stated that, because the law criminalizes insulting Atatürk, Turkish historians have been unable to analyze the speech critically. She said: "It is evident that the text commences the birth of the Turkish nation with 1919, removing in the process the
demise of the Armenians in 1915 through state violence to the realm of Republican prehistory."
Historian
Marc David Baer
Marc David Baer is a Jewish American historian and Professor of International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Life
Baer received his PhD from the University of Chicago.
A scholar of Middle Eastern and European Hi ...
wrote: British Historian
Perry Anderson
Francis Rory Peregrine "Perry" Anderson (born 11 September 1938) is a British intellectual, historian and essayist. His work ranges across historical sociology, intellectual history, and cultural analysis. What unites Anderson's work is a preoc ...
states that, "The speech he gave in 1927 that became the official creed of the nation dwarfed any address by
Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and Premier of the Soviet Union, chairm ...
or
Castro
Castro is a Romance language word that originally derived from Latin ''castrum'', a pre-Roman military camp or fortification (cf: Greek: ''kastron''; Proto-Celtic:''*Kassrik;'' br, kaer, *kastro). The English-language equivalent is '' chester''.
...
. Extolling his own achievements, it went on for 36 hours, delivered over six days, eventually composing a tome of 600 pages: a record in the annals of autocracy."
References
Further reading
*
External links
Complete text in Ottoman TurkishComplete text in modern TurkishAtaturk Research Center, Ankara, TurkeyAtatürk Society of Canada translation
{{Authority control
Speeches by heads of state
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
1927 in Turkey
Grand National Assembly of Turkey
1927 speeches