Atatürk was born in 1881 at the Kocakasım ward of
Salonika, in a three story pink house located on
Islahhane Street. His father is Ali Rıza Efendi and his
mother Zübeyde Hanım. His paternal grandfather, Hafız
Ahmed Efendi belonged to the Kocacık nomads who were
settled in Macedonia during the XIV - XV ^th
centuries. His mother Zübeyde Hanım was the daughter of
an Old Turkish family who had settled in the town of
Langasa near Salonika. Ali Rıza Efendi, who worked as
militia officer, title deed clerck and lumber trader,
married Zübeyde Hanım in 1871. Four of the 5 siblings of
Atatürk died at early ages and only one sister, Makbule
(Atadan) survived, and lived until 1956. 

Upon reaching school age, little Mustafa started
school at the neighborhood classes of Hafız Mehmet Efendi and later,
with his father's choice, was transferred to Şemsi Efendi School. He
lost his father in 1888 where upon he stayed at the farm of his
maternal uncle for a while and returned to Salonika to complete his
studies. He registered at the Salonika Mülkiye Rüştiye (secondary
school) and soon transferred to the military Rüştiye. While at this
school, his math teacher, also named Mustafa, added "Kemal" to his
name. He attended the Manastır Military School between 1896 - 1899
and later the Military School in İstanbul from which he graduated in
1902 with the rank of lieutenant. He later entered the Military
Academy and graduated on January 11, 1905 with the rank of major.
Between 1905 - 1907 he was stationed in Damascus with the 5^th.
Army. In 1907 he was promoted to the rank of "Kolağası" (senior
major) and was posted with the III ^rd Army , which was
stationed in Manastır. He was the Staff Officer of the "Special
Troops" (Hareket Ordusu) which entered İstanbul on April 19, 1909.
He was sent to Paris in 1910 where he attended the Picardie
manuevers. In 1911 he started to work at the General Staff Office in
İstanbul.

Mustafa Kemal was stationed at Tobruk and Derne
regions with a group of his friends during the war which started
with the Italian attack on Tripoli. He won the Tobruk battle in 22
December 1911 against the Italians. On March 6, 1912 he was made the
Commander of Derne.

When the Balkan War started in October 1912,
Mustafa Kemal joined the battle with units from Gallipoli and
Bolayır. His contributions to the recapturing of Dimetoka and Edirne
were considerable. In 1913 he was assigned to Sofia as a military
attache. In 1914, while still at this post, he was promoted to the
rank of lieutenant colonel. His term as an attache ended in January
1915. By that time the First World War had started and the ottomon
Empire was inevitably involved. Mustafa Kemal was posted to Tekirdağ
with the assignment of forming the 19^th Division.

Mustafa Kemal put his signature under a legend of
heroism at Çanakkale during the First World War, which had started
in 1914, and had the Allied Powers admit to the fact that "Çanakkale
is unpassable!" On March 18, 1915 when the English and French navies
in an attempt to force their way up the Çanakkale Strait gave heavy
loses, they decided to put units on land at Gallipoli Peninsula. The
enemy forces which landed at Arıburnu on 25 April 1915 were stopped
by 19^th Divison under Mustafa Kemal's command at
Conkbayırı. Mustafa Kemal was promoted to the rank of colonel after
this victory. English forces attacked at Arıburnu once more on 6-7
August 1915. Mustafa Kemal, as the Commander of the Anafartalar
Forces won the Anafartalar Victory on 6-7 August 1915. This victory
was followed by the victories of Kireçtepe on August 17, and the
Second Anafartalar Victory on August 21. Turkish nation who lost
about 253.000 men at battle, had managed to emerge in honour against
the Allied forces. Actually the fate at trenches changed when
Mustafa Kemal addressed his soldiers with the words "I am not giving
you an order to attack, I am ordering you to die!"

Mustafa Kemal was stationed at Edirne and
Diyarbakır after the Çanakkale wars and was promoted to the rank of
lieutenant general on 1 April 1916. He fought against the Russian
forces and recaptured Muş and Bitlis. Following short assignments at
Damascus and Khallepo, he came to İstanbul in 1917. He traveled to
Germany with Vahdettin Efendi, the heir to the throne. He became
sick after this trip and went to Vienna and Karisbad for treatment.
He returned to Khalleppo on 15 August 1918 as the Commander of the 7^th
army. At this front, he fought successful defence wars. He was
appointed as the Commandar of Yıldırım Armies one day after the
signing of the armistice at Mondros. When this army was disbanded,
he came to İstanbul on November 13, 1918 and started to work at the
Ministry of Defence.

When, following the Mondros Armistice, the Allied
forces started to take over the Ottoman armies, Mustafa Kemal went
to Samsun on May 19, 1919 as 9^th Army Inspector. With the
circular he published on 22 June 1919 at Amasya, he declared that "
The freedom of the nation shall be restored with the resolve and
determination of the nation itself" and called the meeting of the
Sivas Congress. He convened Erzurum Congress during 23 July - 7
August 1919 and Sivas Congress during 4 - 11 September 1919, thus
defining the path to be followed towards the freedom of the
motherland. He was met with great enthusiasm in Ankara on 27
December 1919. With the initiation of the Turkish Grand National
Assembly on 23 April 1920, a significant step was taken on the way
to establishing the Turkish Republic. Mustafa Kemal was elected as
the head of the national assembly as well as the head of the
government. The Grand National Assembly started to put into effect
the necessary legislative measures so as to enable the Independence
War to come to a successful conclusion.

Turkish War of Independence started with the first
bullet shot at enemy on 15 May 1919 during the Gerek occupation of
İzmir. The fight against the victors of the First World War who had
divided up the Ottoman Empire with the Treaty of Sevres signed on 10
August 1920, initially started with the militia forces called Kuva-yi
Milliye. Turkish Assembly later initiated a regular army and
achieving integration between the army and the militia, was able to
conclude the war in victory.

The significant stages of the Turkish War of
Independence under the Command of Mustafa Kemal are

• Recapturing Sarıkamış, Kars and Gümrü

• Çukurova, Gazi Antep, Kahramanmaraş, Şanlı
  Urfa defenses (1919 - 1921)

• Ist ingilizce Victory

• IInd ingilizce Victory

• Sakarya Victory

• Great Attack, Battle of the Chief Commander
  and the Great Victory

After the Sakarya Victory, National Assembly
bestowed the rank of marashal on Mustafa Kemal and the Gazi
(veteran) title. War of Independences came to end with the Lozanne
Agreement, which was signed on 24 July 1923. Hence, there were no
longer any obstacles to create a new nation on Turkish soil which
Treaty of Sevre had torn to pieces leaving Turks an area the size of
5-6 provinces.

The National Assembly which first convened on 23
April 1920 in Ankara was the first clue to the Turkish Republic. The
successful management of the War of Independence by this assembly
accelerated the founding of the new Turkish State. On 1 November
1922, the offices of the Sultan and caliph were severed from one
other and the former was abolished. There was no longer any
administrative ties with the Ottoman Empire. On 29 October 1923,
Turkish Republic was formally proclaimed and Atatürk was unanimously
elected as its first President. On 30 October 1923, the first
government of the Republic was formed by İsmet ingilizce . Turkish
Republic started to grow on the foundations of the twin principles "Sovereignty,
unconditionally belongs to the nation" and "peace at home, peace in
the world,"

Atatürk undertook a series of reforms to "raise
Turkey to the level of modern civilization" which can be grouped
under five titles

1. Political Reforms

• Abolishment of the office of the Sultan
  (November 1922)

• Proclamation of the Republic (29 October
  1923)

• Abolishment of the caliph (3 March 1924)
  

2. Social Reforms

• Recognition of equal rights to men and women
  (1926 - 1934)

• Reform of Headgear and Dress (25 November
  1925)

• Closure of mausoleums and dervish lodges (30
  November 1925)

• Law on family names (21 June 1934)

• Abolishment of titles and by-names (26
  November 1934)

• Adoption of international calendar, hours and
  measurements (1925 - 1931)

3. Legal Reforms

• Abolishment of the Canon Law (1924 - 1937)
  

• Transfer to a secular law structure by
  adoption of Turkish Civil Code and other laws (1924 - 1937)
  

4. Reforms in the fields of education and
culture

• Unification of education (3 March 1924)
  

• Adoption of new Turkish alphabet (1 November
  1928)

• Establishment of Turkish Language and History
  Institutions (1931 - 1932)

• Regulation of the university education (31
  May 1933)

• Innovations in fine arts

5. Economic Reforms

• Abolution of tithe

• Encouragement of the farmers

• Establishment of model farms

• Establishment of industrial facilities, and
  putting into effect a law for Incentives for the Industry

• Putting into effect I^st and II^nd
  Development Plans (1933-1937), to develop transportation
  networks

Acccording to the Law on Family Names, the Turkish
Grand Assembly gave "Atatürk" (Father of Turks) as last name to
Mustafa Kemal on 24 November 1934.

Atatürk was elected as the Speaker of the Grand
Assembly on 24 April 1920 and again on 13 August 1923. This was a
position equal to that of the president as well as the prime
minister. Republic was proclaimed on 29 October 1923 and Atatürk was
elected as the first President. Elections for President were renewed
every four years according to the Constitution. In 1927, 1931 and
1935 Turkish Grand Assembly again elected Atatürk as the president.

Atatürk took frequent trips around the country and
inspected locally the works undertaken by the state, giving
directives were problems were faced. As president he was host to
visiting foreign presidents, prime ministers and ministers.

He read his Great Speech, which covers the War of
Independence and the founding of the Republic on 15 - 20 October
1927, and his 10^th Year Speech on 29 October 1933.

Atatürk led a very simple private life. He married
Latife Hanım on 29 January 1923. They took many trips to different
parts of the country together. This marriage lasted until 5 August
1925. A great lover of children he adopted girls named Afet (İnan),
Sabiha (Gökçen), Fikriye, Ülkü, Nebile, Rukiye and Zehra and a
shepperd boy named Mustafa. He also took two boys called Abdurrahim
and İhsan under his protection. He provided for the futures of these
children who survived.

He donated his farms to the Treasury in 1937 and
some of his real estate to municipalities of Ankara and Bursa. He
divided his inheritance among his sister, his adopted children and
to the Turkish History and Language Institutions. He enjoyed books
and music as well as dancing, horse riding and swimming. He was
extremely interested in Zeybek dances, wrestling and the Rumelia
folk songs. Games of billards and backgammon gave him great pleasure.
He valued his horse Sakarya and his dog Fox . He had a rich library.
He used to invite statesman, scholars and artists to dinners where
the problems of the country were discussed. He was particular about
his appearence and enjoyed dressing well. He was also a lover of
nature. He used to frequent the Atatürk Forest Farm and join in the
work.

He knew French and German. Atatürk died on 10
November 1938 at 9.05 A.M at Dolmabahçe Palace, defeated by the
liver ailment he was suffering from. He was taken to his temporary
place of rest at the Ethnograpy Museum in Ankara on 21 November
1938. When the mausoleum was completed, he was taken to his
permanent rest place with a grand ceremony on 10 November 1953.