Cevap:
Mustafa Kemal first enrolls in a religious school Mahalle Mektebi Hafız Mehmet Efendi neighborhood school at his mother’s request, after a while he continues his education in this school, he transferred to Şemsi Efendi School which is a modernistic school at his father’s request. Following the loss of his father, he had to drop out of the school to move in his uncle’s house with his family. After living with his uncle for a while, he returns to Salonika and enrolls in Salonika Junior High School for Civil Servants. Because of the problems he had, he has to drop out and applies for military schools and gets accepted into Military Junior High School. Before then his name was just Mustafa after he meets a mathematics teacher named Mustafa, his teacher adds him a nickname, Kemal. Since then, his name was no longer Mustafa who is the son of Ali Rıza, but Mustafa Kemal. Later on, Mustafa Kemal’s education continues in line with military schools.
He graduated the Military Preparatory School in Salonika in 1895, then enrolls in the Military High School at Manastır, after he graduated in 1899 he enrolls in the Military Academy in Istanbul. In 1902, Mustafa Kemal graduated from the Military Academy and enrolls in the General Staff College. In 1905, he completed his education life with the rank of Staff Captain.
Military Career (askeri kariyeri)
According to the thoughts of Mustafa Kemal, who devoted his life to the development of the Turkish nation, a nation should not oppress itself under the auspices of other nations, and when he followed the thought, his one and only aim was to establish a Turkish state which is unconditionally sovereign; civilized, contemporary and democratic.
Mustafa Kemal, who spent his almost entire life in the army, graduated from the War Academy, thereafter he posted to Damascus in the 5th Army. During his posting, he was well acquainted with Syria and had the chance to observe closely the deficiencies in military training by observing the army. Besides, during the period, he establishes a society called “Homeland and Freedom” to work on the nation’s independence issues with his friends. After a while, he secretly returns to Salonika and establishes a new branch to Homeland and Freedom called Committee of Union and Progress. After the situation heard by the government, the attempts remain secret by the help of Mustafa Kemal’s superiors protections on him. On 20th June 1907, he was promoted to the rank of Senior Captain and appointed as the Chief of Staff of the Damascus Army.
On 13th October 1907, he was appointed to 3rd Army and goes to Salonika. During the year of 1908, he works on the declaration of constitutionalism. On 31st March 1909, he served as Staff Officer for the Army of Action in the 31 March Incident. Afterward, he was appointed to the General Staff in 1911, he was promoted to the rank of Major. On January 9, 1912, he took charge in Tobruk, Tripoli. On October 27, 1913, he was appointed to the Sofia Attachê. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In the same year, he established the 19th Division in Tekirdağ. Besides, he resisted to the Allied Powers in Arıburnu, then he was promoted to the rank of Colonel. On August 9, 1915, he was appointed to Anafartalar Group Command. In his assignment of Anafartalar, he won the rank of Brigadier General in 1916 winning over the alliances.
In 1917, he explanatorily reported the situation of the country and the army and shortly afterward returned to Istanbul. After the Armistice of Moudros as death decree of Ottoman Empire on 30th October 1918, he was appointed to the commandership of the Yıldırım Army Group, soon afterward, the Yıldırım Army Group was abolished and Mustafa Kemal returned to Istanbul. On 30th March 1919, he was appointed to the inspectorship of 9th Army in Erzurum. After the Greeks attacked to Izmir on 15th May 1919; Mustafa Kemal landed in Samsun on 19th May. He assumed the title of inspector of the 3rd Army on 15th June.
