| Ataturk | 
 enlarge | Author: Andrew Mango
Publisher: Overlook Hardcover
Category: Book
List Price: $40.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  39 reviews
Sales Rank: 950923
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 539
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.8
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.4 x 2.4
ISBN: 1585670111
Dewey Decimal Number: 956.1024092
EAN: 9781585670116
ASIN: 1585670111
Publication Date: April 3, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The first full-scale biography in over twenty years of the controversial founding father of the Turkish Republic
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was virtually unknown until 1919, when he took the lead in thwarting the victorious Allies' plan to partition the Turkish core of the Ottoman Empire. He divided the Allies, defeated the last Sultan and secured the territory of the Turkish national state, becoming the first president of the new republic in 1923. He fast created his own legend and his own cult, along with much controversy. In Turkey today he is invoked at every turn in domestic politics and a law protects his memory from insult, while foreign visitors find the Ataturk cult unappealing and blame him for his country's ills.
In this definitive new biography Andrew Mango shows the real omplexities of Turkey's first president--his high ideals and ruthless tactics, his championship of women's rights and his inability to sustain an equal relationship with women, his nationalism and his belief in a single universal civilization, his regular drinking bouts and the strange theories they produced. Through Mango's balanced treatment, he reveals a man who, while responsible for some of his country's ills, also transformed the republic from a battle-scarred ruin into a regional power. Mango's biography throws light on matters of great topical interest--resurgent nationalism, religious fundamentalism and the reality of democracy.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 34 more reviews...
 Great Subject; Pedestrian Writing July 23, 2008
Andrew Mango has obviously done a great deal of research into his fascinating subject. The book is a thorough history of the life and career of Mustapha Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. Even though he was autocratic in many respects, there can be no denying that he was a visionary who built a powerful modern Western nation out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire. The current rulers of Turkey, specifically Erdogan and Gul, ought to spend some time acquainting themselves with Ataturk before plunging the country headlong down the Islamist path.
The main problem with the book is that Mango is not much of a writer. His prose is pedestrian, and he has no flair for narrative. Having read "1453" by Roger Crowley, the fascinating story of the fall of Constantinople, I know that history can be every bit as exciting as an adventure novel. Alas, "Ataturk" at times resembles a mere recitation of events in the protagonist's life.
So although I have given the book 5 stars, the reader should be aware that he/she is in for a long, hard slog at times.
 A Tedious Apologetic for the Gazi Pasha and Turkce July 20, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I found this book to be an exhaustive review of the almost day to day schedule of Mustapha Kemal throughout his life. Although extremely thorough, it is quite easy to get lost in the minutiae. The author dissects each vignette in excruciating detail in an attempt to separate fact from self-serving legend, but what little analysis is provided simply excuses or downplays the ruthlessness of the protagonist. Outright murder, exile and/or jailing of his political opponents such as journalists are excused with statements such as in any revolution, a few must fall by the wayside. Massacres and deportations of Armenians, Greeks, and Kurds are barely alluded to, while the author's main sympathies are revealed in statements such as "General Muglali's career ended sadly...he was courtmartialed for having ordered the shooting of thirty-three Kurdish tribesman" (p.477). Mustafa Kemal's curious habit of adopting "daughters" is noted throughout the text with barely a comment until the very end of the book when the author reveals that a black eunuch guards his harem, and one of his daughters, Atef, is in fact his "intimate companion". In my opinion, the best part of the book consists of the last several chapters, when the author summarizes the Gazi's career and his role in Turkish and world history. Unfortunately, it took 500 uncritical pages to get there.
 Too Much History, Not Enough Phylosophy February 15, 2008
This is an excellent book for what it is---but it was not quite what I was looking for. Ataturk is a fascinating individual who dictated wideranging reforms. I wanted to know how and why he came by his phylosophies--other than he believed the church was a huge detriment to society.
This is a very detailed history, including names of associates, political intrigues, battles, who moved what troops where, etc, but short on the reforms and their reasons. For example, page 468, "An obedient assembly continued to pass laws imported from Europe: court procedure was reformed, the German commercial code and Swiss law on bankruptcy were adopted; agricultural cooperatives were established". This is the only mention of any of these important things in the entire book.
I'm certainly don't regret reading it and I learned a great deal. Now I need a book that goes into all the changed Ataturk made. If someone has a recommendation, pleas email me.
Too much of a good thing February 8, 2008
This book contains everything you ever wanted to know about Ataturk and much, much, much more. I found that the book devoted so much detail to essentially insignificant parts of Atturk's life that it diminished the story of his rise to power and his use of it to bring about enormous changes in Turkey in an amazingly short period of time.
This has GOT to be complete February 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The author does a fine job in what is obviously a very thoroughly-researched and well-written work. The main thing I liked about this book is that it didn't just discuss a chronology of Ataturk's career but also looked into the ideas and influences which molded the future leader of the Turkish Republic. A little long at places, the book nevertheless makes sure the context of developments is known to the reader as well as the events themselves. While not destined to be a favorite book of mine I can certainly recommend it as a great work in this field of history.
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