Abstract:

After the Ottoman Empire's collapse following World War I, Turkish revolutionaries led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk emerged victorious in the Turkish War of Independence, establishing the modern Turkish Republic as it exists today. Atatürk, President of Turkey, implemented a series of reforms, including secularization and industrialization, intended to "Europeanize" or Westernize the country. During World War II, Turkey remained neutral until February 1945, when it joined the Allies. The country took part in the Marshall Plan of 1947. During the Cold War, Turkey allied itself with the United States and Western Europe. Europe has been an object of desire as well as a source of frustration for Turkish national identity in a long and strained history”. Ever since the foundation of modern day Turkey in 1923, this country with a predominantly Muslim population has been a secular democracy closely aligned with the West and has been a member NATO since 1952. Turkey was a founding member of the United Nations, and after the ten founding members, Turkey was one of the first countries to become a member of the Council of Europe in 1949, and was also a founding member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1961.

Keywords: