Legacy

His successor, Ismet Inonu, fostered a posthumous Ataturk personality cult which has survived to this day, even after Ataturk's own Republican People's Party lost power following democratic elections in 1950.

   Ataturk's face and name are seen and heard everywhere in Turkey: his portrait can be seen in all public buildings, in schools, in all kinds of school books, on all Turkish banknotes, and in the homes of many Turkish families. It is common even after so many years, in addition to commemorative ceremonies on November 10, at 09:05 a.m. (the exact time of his death), many vehicles and people will pause for one minute in remembrance all over the country at the same instant.

He is commemorated by many memorials all over Turkey, like the Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, Ataturk Bridge over the Golden Horn (Halic), Ataturk Dam, Ataturk Stadium, and Anitkabir, the mausoleum where he is now buried. Ataturk statues loom over Istanbul and other Turkish cities, and practically any larger settlement has its own memorial to him. There are also several memorials to Ataturk internationally, such as his statue in Havana, Cuba, Ataturk Memorial in Wellington, New Zealand (which also serves as a memorial to the ANZAC forces that died at Gallipolli) and the Ataturk Memorial in the place of honour on ANZAC drive in Canberra, Australia.

    Ataturk sought to modernize and democratise a new Turkish Republic from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire. In his quest to do so, Ataturk had implemented far-reaching reforms, the consequence of which has led Turkey towards the European Union today. The emphasis placed on secularism and nationalism had also led to a degree of conflict within society. Some practicing Muslims found the idea of secularism as being against the teaching of Islam, and criticise the state for not allowing full freedom of religion. In Turkey to this day Islam is still curbed and women are not allowed to wear their headscarves in public buildings. Ethnic minorities such as Kurds have also sought to gain more cultural rights, which in the past, has been limited by the promotion of Turkish nationalism. Despite these conflicts, Ataturk continues to be revered throughout Turkey and his principles remain the backbone of modern Turkish politics.

Worldwide

    In 1981, the centennial of Ataturk's birth, the memory of Ataturk was honored by the United Nations and UNESCO by declaring it The Ataturk Year in the World and adopting the Resolution on the Ataturk Centennial as follows.

    Convinced that personalities who worked for understanding and cooperation between nations and international peace will be examples for future generations,

Recalling that the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Turkish Republic, will be celebrated in 1981,

Knowing that he was an exceptional reformer in all fields relevant to the competence of UNESCO,

Recognizing in particular that he was the leader of the first struggle given against colonialism and imperialism,

Recalling that he was the remarkable promoter of the sense of understanding between peoples and durable peace between the nations of the world and that he worked all his life for the development of harmony and cooperation between peoples without distinction of color, religion and race,

It is decided that UNESCO should collaborate in 1981 with the Turkish Government on both intellectual and technical plans for an international colloquium with the aim of acquainting the world with the various aspects of the personality and deeds of Ataturk whose objective was to promote world peace, international understanding and respect for human rights.