Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Those who study Atatürk know very well that he read a lot of books and that he did not read them to pass the time. Since he chose the military profession, he studied the great commanders who have fallen into the written records of history, learned their strategies and tactics in combat conditions and applied them in the field in the War of Independence. He studied many philosophers and wise people who influenced his political life and applied and tried to apply them in all areas of his social life. Let's say from his books in Anıtkabir today and from the notes he wrote on every line of the books he read. 

One of the intellectuals who shaped Atatürk's life of ideas and freedom was Jean-Jacques Rousseau. 

Born in 1712 in Geneva, Rousseau, a philosopher, writer and even more than these adjectives, is one of the figures who shaped today's understanding of democracy thanks to being one of the intellectual fathers of the French Revolution. With his famous work "The Social Contract" (1762), which was far ahead of the mindset of his time, Rousseau emphasized the sovereignty of the nation and the justification of this sovereignty by a social contract made by the general will.

Apart from this, we can see his ideas behind many laws, codes and legal texts that defend the equality and fundamental freedoms of all human beings, especially the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. Rousseau believes that all human beings are born equal and that these inequalities can be overcome through a just contract. Almost 200 years after these views, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of our country, was influenced by Rousseau in his understanding of freedom and democracy in rebuilding the country.

Atatürk shaped his own ideas by drawing on the political and social views of various intellectuals such as Montesquie, Voltaire, Namik Kemal and Ziya Gökalp. His inspiration from Rousseau's works is perhaps the most widely known by our society. The biggest reason for this is undoubtedly the following passage from his speech at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on December 1, 1921:

"Sirs, I have studied the principles on which the greatest philosophers who came up with this theory of constitutionalism worked to establish this theory. I have penetrated them. Read Jean-Jacques Rouse from beginning to end. When I read it, I saw two principles in the author of this book, which I believe to be the truth. One is this suffering and the other is a paradise."

It should also be noted that Atatürk took many notes on the French edition of The Social Contract, one of the most valuable pieces of the library in Anıtkabir, which consists of nearly 4000 works. With this work, Rousseau and Atatürk aim for a libertarian and republican structure as a political regime. However, they also state that in order to achieve these goals, even authoritarian orders can be established for a short period of time under the leadership of elites if necessary. This short period of time is until the society asserts its will, sovereignty and freedom.

The statement "With a very long lever, man can move the world with one finger, but it would take the shoulders of Heracles to carry it" in The Social Contract captures this - unfortunately necessary - process.

At this point, however, the two men of ideas diverge: Rousseau was a man of doctrine who was also a philosopher, whereas Mustafa Kemal was a man of action with certain principles. In this sense, we should not forget the tragedy of the Reign of Terror in France in 1793-1794 when the Jacobin faction, to which he gave doctrine, guillotined many anti-revolutionaries. As you know, the word Jacobin, which has now entered the dictionaries, means someone who takes revolutionary initiatives on behalf of the people against the people, elite minority revolutionary, revolutionary democrat, top-down, imposing.

Atatürk followed a tolerant, consistent and systematic path in his revolutions for an order in which the nation was sovereign. This is a different path from the Jacobins in this sense. Thus, it is possible to conclude that Atatürk was not completely unaffected by Rousseau's views. 

In conclusion, these two great names have one very big thing in common, and that is this phrase that is very meaningful for us: "Sovereignty belongs to the nation unconditionally!"

"I repeat once again and absolutely that the Turkish people have unconditional and unconditional sovereignty. Sovereignty does not accept partnership in any sense, in any way, in any color and in any guidance. Whether his title is caliph or something else, no one can be a partner in the destiny of this nation. The nation absolutely cannot allow this. No deputy can be found to propose this. For this reason, it is imperative to terminate the Caliphate of the Caliph who has fled, to elect a new one and to act within the framework of the views I have stated in all transactions related to this issue. There is absolutely no other way." (Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Nutuk)

Up to this point, maybe I have repeated what you already know, but sometimes it is necessary to remember, to remind. It can't hurt. Human memory is like the memory of a fish. It tends to forget or be forgotten. One of the most important features that makes Atatürk Atatürk is that he had a personality trait that was open to learning at every stage of his life. 

I have read and internalized so many philosophers that I will repeat Socrates' quote here: "If philosophers were kings and kings were philosophers, our world would be a very different place.". 

Let me give you two names that come to my mind right now. One is Marcus Aurelius, one of the top five emperors of the Roman Empire, and the other is Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the last representative of modern times. I would say that what distinguishes these two figures from others is that they put theory into practice in the social field. 

Stay with respectful love.