The Atatürk Shrine

A while ago, we went to the War of Independence Musum in the center of Ankara. I never wrote about it then, but I wanted to share with you some impressions.

This is the courtryard of the Atatürk mausoleum and the War of Independence Musuem.

What we saw:

Uniformed guards motionless in front of the doors, Buckingham Palace-like. They hold one hand on the gun, one hand on a knife. (My host father says the guns are without real bullets, just for show. To show what?)

Then, inside, a picture entitled "The Selfless Contributions Made By Turkish Women in the National Struggle." Haggard women carrying jewelry and rugs to an army truck, painted in the best over-emotional propaganda style, akin to Soviet social realism...

"The Day of Youth and Sport." Immediately reminds me of North Korea, Stalin's decrees, Hitler's Germany: the emphasis on strong bodies and obedient minds...

"The Massacres Perpetrated in Anatolia During the Invasion Years." Greeks killing Turkish soldiers in what the Greeks call "The Great Catastrophe" and Turks call "The War of Independence." Description: "During these massacres, the fact that clerics played a provoking role has been proven by historical evidence."*...

Battle scene panoramas on every wall... As I scribble notes, a soundtrack of gunfire, bombs, loading weapons, and an opera chorus of the Turkish independence theme plays on endless repeat...

Towering above it all is the form of Atatürk. He is climbing a steep slope, leaning forward, one foot ahead of the other, a cigarette in his hand. His face is grim, focused -- the face that appears on currency, on sides of buildings, in classrooms. His expression is one I have seen on icons depicting God: a stern father, willing to be kind, but also recording all transgressions and faults...

The same outline of Atatürk on a building in Diyarbakır

There are quotes from Atatürk written on the walls. For example: "Writing the history is as important as making it. If the writer does not comply with the maker, the truth can acquire aspects that will confuse humanity." 23 August 1931.

*****

When I leave, the whole effect is one of overwhelming kitsch, but also some revulsion. And fear.

Maybe my reaction is exxagerated, molded too strongly by horror stories from family and friends alive in Stalin's Russia. From endless accounts of Hitler, from too many over-dramatized, Hollywood-ized representations. Maybe it only seems so scary because it is foreign -- maybe we have similar (though less extreme) exhibits in the United States. Maybe all new nations need to inculcate patriotism to preserve themselves...

Maybe. But I can't help but think what kind of an effect this has in the minds of Turks, on children educated to have complete faith in the founder and his tenets, complete obedience to Atatürk's vision for Turkey's future...**

(Previously someone asked about Kemalism. There is a more in-depth Wikipedia article about it, but the basic idea is that everything Mustafa Kemal Atatürk wanted for Turkey -- from complete secularism to intense patriotism and a strong military -- should be preserved, treasured, and accepted. (Also see my post about currency).)

*****

I have to go prepare for my last week of class now, but I'd like to finish this post later this week with a look at what I've seen of Atatürk's legacy in modern Turkey...

*This is another jab at religion -- Atatürk blamed Islam for many of the faults, and eventual collapse, of the Ottoman Empire...

**An important point to acknowledge: as far as nationalism and cults of personality go, Atatürk was not the worst person to imitate, and really much better than most: his belief in republicanism, giving women a political voice, education, and modernization were exactly what Turkey needed to prevent it from becoming another Islamist dictatorship.
But what concerns me is the repercussions of his vision: the emphasis on paternalism and faith over critical analysis and independent action...