Turkey

Capital : Ankara

Aydin, Afyonkara-hisar, Agri, Amasya, Antalya, Balikesir, Bingol, Burdur, Bursa, Bolu, Corum, Adana, Adiyaman, Ankara, Artun, Bitlis, Canakkale, Cankin, Diyarbakir, Edirne, Hakkari, Gümüshane, Hatay, Mus, Erzinram, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Icel, Elazig, Isparta, Istambul, Izmir, Kahramanmaras, Konya, Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kutahya, Kirklareli, Kirsehir, Kocaeli, Korogwe, Malatya, Manisa, Mugla, Nevsehir, Nigde, Sürt, Ordu, Sakarya, Samun, Sinop, Sivas, Tekirdeg, Trabzon, Tunceli, Tokat, Urfa, Usak, Van, Yozgat, Zonguldak

Size: 301 000 sq m Popn: 58 775 000

History

The Turks spread from Mongolia into Turkestan in the C6th AD and adopted Islam in the C7th. The Seljuk Turks gained political control of the caliphate in 1055 and established an empire in Asia Minor. The Ottoman Turks were driven out of central Asia by the Mongols and entered the service of the Seljuks but Osman I founded his own kingdom in 1299. After overrunning Asia Minor, the Ottomans turned their attentions towards Europe, taking Gallipoli in 1354, Constantinople in 1453 and mastering the Balkans by 1480. The Empire continued to expand until 1550, by which it had conquered Egypt, Syria, Arabia, Mesopotamia and most of Hungary. Cyprus was taken in 1571 and Crete in 1669.

The Christians began to strike back in 1683, defeating the Turks outside Vienna. The Turks lost Hungary in 1699 and Russia ousted them from Moldavia, Wallachia and the Crimea in 1774. In the Balkans, the Serbian revolt of 1805 was unsuccessful but the Greeks threw off Turkish rule in 1821-9. Russia tried to exploit the situation but France and Britain resisted this, fighting on the Turkish side in the Crimea. A new war between Russia and Turkey began with the Bulgarian uprising of 1876 and Turkey lost Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina under the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. The Young Turks, a militant nationalist group, managed to have a constitution granted in 1908 and the subsequent crisis led to Italy taking Tripoli in 1911-12. The Balkan states expelled the Turks from Albania and Macedonia in 1912-13. Turkey entered World War I on the German side in 1914 and lost Syria, Arabia, Mesopotamia and its nominal control of Egypt.

The Greeks occupied Izmir in 1919, provoking the establishment of a national congress under the presidency of Mustapha Kemal, who had been born in Thessaloniki but was banished for joining a revolutionary society in 1904. He was largely responsible for the successful defence of the Dardanelles against Britain in 1915 and defeated French and Italian troops and expelled the Greeks in 1922. Kemal was granted the title of Ghazi 'the Victorious' after the Battle of Sakaria in 1921. Peace was concluded in 1923 under the Treaty of Lausanne and Turkey proclaimed itself as an independent republic under Kemal as president. His diplomacy averted war with Britain and he introduced a policy of westernization and a new legal code, ruling the republic as a virtual dictator. In 1934, he took the name 'Atatò rk' or 'father of the Turks' and his People's Party remained in power after his death in 1938.

Turkey's first free elections, held in 1950, were won by the Democratic Party under Celal Bayar and Adnan Menderes who became president and prime minister respectively. After the Second World War, Turkey felt threatened by the USSR and joined NATO in 1952 and the Baghdad Pact, later the Central Treaty Organization, in 1955, although this was dissolved in 1979. In 1960, a military coup led by General Cemal Gò rsel, executed Menderes and imprisoned Bayar. A new constitution was adopted in 1961 and civilian rule restored with Cemal Gò rsel as president. A series of governments followed, mostly under the leadership of the veteran politician Ismet Inonu, until the Justice Party came to power under Suleyman Demirel in 1965. After strikes and student unrest, the army forced Demirel to resign in 1971 and the country returned to military rule.

In 1973, civilian government was restored with a coalition led by Bulent Ecevit. Turkey sent troops to Cyprus the following year to protect the Turkish-Cypriot community, leading to the effective partition of the island but Ecevit's government fell when he refused to annex northern Cyprus. Suleyman Demirel returned as head of a right-wing coalition and retained a precarious hold on power after the inconclusive elections of 1977. Ecevit returned as leader of another coalition in 1978 but was faced with economic deterioration, strikes and sectional violence and resigned in 1979 after losing his working majority. Demirel returned in November but violence continued and in September, 1980, the army set up a national security council with Bulent Ulusu as prime minister. It established a harsh regime, imposed martial law and suspended political activity.

Under strong international pressure to return to a more democratic system, Turkey allowed political parties to operate again from May 1983 and the old parties reformed under new names. Three of them contested the assembly elections in November - the conservative Motherland Party (ANAP), the Nationalist Democracy Party (MDP) and the Populist Party (SDPP). The ANAP won a large majority and its leader, Turgat š zal, became prime minister. He was elected president in 1989 with Yildirim Akbulut becoming prime minister. Mesut Yilmaz became leader of the ANAP in 1991 and replaced Akbulut. Although Turkey made significant improvements in its human rights record, it was refused membership of the EC in 1989. It supported the US-led forces in the Gulf War of 1990-1, allowing them to use vital bases within the country. After an inconclusive general election in 1991, Demirel returned as premier for the seventh time in November, forming a coalition government supported by the Social Democratic Populist Party.

Turkish Names

Male

Female

Surnames

Rulers

Attalids

Ghaznavids

Ottoman Emperors : Osmanli Dynasty

This collection of names was compiled by Kate Monk and is ©1997, Kate Monk.

Copies may be made for personal use only.