PDF Dosyası - Ankara Üniversitesi Kitaplar Veritabanı

REFLECTıONS ON THE EARLY TURKISHREPUBLIC ıN WORLD-HıSTORıCALPERSPECTıVEProf. Carter V. FINDLEY*As much as has been vvritten about modern Turkey in recent years,scholars seldom look at Turkey in a world-historical perspective. Archivalempiricism reigns so supreme among Turkish historians that somewould disdain this enterprise. For nationalist historians, the desire to formulatea canon of national uniqueness is another obstacle to the comparisonson which world history depends. This is unfortunate, because thehistory of modern Turkey differs from the histories of other nations in importantrespects, while also resembling them in others; and the only wayto evaluate these differences is in the broad, comparative perspective, towhich neither archival empiricism nor nationalist doctrine can give access.To illustrate this point briefly, I would like to explore several facetsof early republican history that can only be appreciated fully whenvievved in the vast space-time perspective of world history. I shall refer tothese facets under the follovving headings:* Turkey's reorientation toward the West* Turkey's national indepencence struggle* Early republican Turkey and the changing world system* Atatürk in global perspective.My presentation vvill be in the form of an essay, rather than a researchpaper. each of my points could, hovvever, be developed and documentedat length.TURKEY'S REORİENTATİON TOWARD THE WESTAli of us see the founding of the Turkish Republic as a decisive shifttoward the West, a shift that ended the Ottomans' protracted vvavering betweenIslamic Empire and secularist modernity. In a nationalist prespective,we see this as a unique change. While there is much truth in this* Ohio State University.91