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My notes of Revolution History -Istanbul
University
Culture Revolution
Atatürk's views on cultural civilization Letter revolution Nation schools Public education from Turkish quarries Atatürk and History The establishment of the Turkish Language Society The activities in Fine Arts
Atatürk's views on cultural civilization
What is civilization? According to Ziya Gökalp, civilization is the sum of common institutions shared among societies. The specific form that civilization takes within each nation is called culture ( hars ). Civilization is international, whereas culture is national. Civilization can be transferred from one nation to another, but culture is unique to each nation. A nation may change its civilization, but its culture remains distinct. The Alphabet Reform — The use of Turkish as a written language dates back as far as 2000 years. The first written texts are the Orkhon inscriptions, dating to the 8th century AD, though their emergence lies between the 6th century and the beginning of the Common Era. In earlier periods, languages such as Chuvash, Yakut, Mongolic, Göktürk, and Uighur were dominant over Turkish. From the 11th century onward, due to the Mongol invasions, the Turks followed ancient migration routes and spread westward and southwestward, passing through the north and south of the Caspian and Black Seas. After using the Uighur script, the Turks began to use the Arabic alphabet from the 10th century onward.
The Debate on the Reform of Letters Before the Republic — During the Ottoman era, the issue of reforming the script came to the agenda in the mid- 19th century. In 1851, Ahmet Cevdet Pasha emphasized the need to find a way to represent the sounds that existed in Turkish but were not shown with Arabic letters by publishing his book Kavaid-i Osmaniye. The actual move toward adopting the Latin alphabet was first proposed by Azerbaijani intellectual Mirza Fatali Ahundzade in 1857. He argued that Arabic letters should be written separately—like Latin letters—in order for words to be read properly. In 1863, he presented his “Alphabet Reform Proposal” in Istanbul after traveling from Tbilisi, submitting it to Grand Vizier Fuat Pasha. Although his efforts were acknowledged as beneficial, it was stated that their implementation would be impossible, as it might lead to the forgetting of old Islamic texts. As a result, he was awarded a certificate of appreciation and the Order of the Medjidie. After returning to Tbilisi, Ahundzade created a new Turkish alphabet based on Latin letters. He sent this new project to Grand Vizier Ali Pasha but did not receive a positive outcome. With the proclamation of the Second Constitutional Era, intellectuals such as Kılıçzade Hakkı, Abdullah Cevdet, and Celal Nuri İleri openly advocated for a transition to the Latin alphabet. In 1909, the Ministry of Education established an “Orthography Commission” to work on changing the alphabet. At the beginning of 1928, Gazi was convinced that the time had come for a change in the alphabet. Among Mustafa Kemal Pasha’s reasons for accelerating the transition to the Latin alphabet was the fact that Turks in the Soviet Union had also adopted the Latin script. In order to sever the ties between Turks, a switch from the Arabic alphabet to the Cyrillic alphabet was later imposed on the Turks there, aiming to cut off communication once again. On February 8, 1928, the first Turkish sermon (khutbah) was delivered. On May 24, 1928, Latin numerals were adopted as Turkish numerals.
The Organization of the Nation’s Schools (Millet Mektepleri
Teşkilatı)
was implemented by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM). The directive, consisting of a total of 52 articles, outlined the goals, organizational structure, and operational procedures of the Nation’s Schools.
In Group B classrooms , one hour covered reading, dictation, writing, and composition , mixed with arithmetic, health, and civic knowledge. Until 1936 , the Nation’s Schools received considerable attention. Although interest declined over time, by 1936, 1,240,210 people had been taught to read and write. The literacy rate among women , which was 2.4% in 1927 , rose to 10.5% by 1935. For men , the literacy rate increased from 17.4% in 1927 to 29.3% in 1935. Overall, the general literacy rate rose by 9.2% over 8 years.
From Turkish Hearths to People’s Houses –
Public Education
Objectives of Adult Education The objectives of adult education include fostering national unity, promoting conscious citizenship, supporting democracy, enhancing individual abilities, teaching literacy, completing incomplete education, and preparing continuous education opportunities in line with contemporary needs. Establishment of the First Adult Education Unit The first adult education unit within the Ministry of National Education was established in 1926 under the name "Department of Public Instruction" (Halk Terbiyesi Şubesi). In 1927, regulations were issued for public classrooms and public conferences. These public classrooms were tasked with educating individuals who had not been able to read or write or had not reached their desired level of education, equipping them with basic citizenship knowledge, and strengthening national culture and awareness. Opening of Nation's Schools and the Adoption of New Letters In 1928, with the adoption of the new alphabet, Nation's Schools were opened under the leadership of Atatürk. With the law numbered 2287 dated 1933, the activities of People's Houses were transferred to the General Directorate of Education. In the 1930s, efforts were made to bridge the gap between the enlightened intellectuals and the public by the revolutionary cadre.
Role of Turkish Hearths and People's Houses in Adult Education Turkish Hearths and People's Houses became the most important organs of adult education. Subsequently, this process was followed by the establishment of Village Institutes.
Turkish Hearths and Adult Education
The Turkish Hearths (Türk Ocakları) , founded in 1912, emerged as a movement led by intellectuals who believed in the necessity of uniting the Turkish people as a nation to save them during the decline of the Ottoman Empire. They organized conferences and focused their activities on awakening and sustaining the ideas of Turkism and nationalism. Through this, they aimed to cultivate a generation with a strong sense of nationalism. To carry out practical activities, they established various associations: the Turkish Power Association, the Peasants' Society, and the Turkish Knowledge Association. During the promotion and implementation of reforms, Atatürk visited the Turkish Hearths and received support. However, in 1931, the Turkish Hearths were dissolved, as it was believed they had fulfilled their duties.
