Abstract:

Village Institutes, which left deep traces in Turkish education history, are institutions that were founded during the Presidency of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and formalized during the Presidency of İsmet İnönü. These educational institutions, which were put into service with the law dated April 17, 1940, became widespread in a short time and the Village Institutes opened all over Anatolia did not only play an important role in the spread of education to the villages, but also assumed the function of introducing music, theater and literature to rural life. As for the intelligentsia, the role of İsmet İnönü in the Village Institutes, which are identified with the names of the Minister of National Education Hasan Âli Yücel and the Primary Education Director İsmail Hakkı Tonguç, is now mostly identified with the process of liquidation of these institutions. However, İsmet İnönü was personally engaged in the Village Institutes and their development, especially during the World War II. The purpose of this study is to reveal the relations of İsmet İnönü, who frequently visited the Village Institutes spread from Edirne to Kars, with these institutions and his effects on them during his Presidency.

Keywords: