Turkey : Emergence Of A Modern Nation

the old man is nearly 80 he's a citizen of turkey his name is ilhan ikim but that hasn't always been his name it was changed by law 40 years ago along with the names of all his countrymen he lives in a city that is more than 2500 years old and that has had three names in its lifetime Byzantium Constantinople and Istanbul ilhan ikram was born in an oriental Empire which at the height of its power controlled a large part of the Civilized world it's difficult for him not to look back to the distant days of former glory he lives today in a republic which has done everything within its power to force its people to look away from the old days and to take bold steps into the future as citizens of a modern and Progressive Nation and to a great degree it has succeeded in doing just that in order to fully appreciate the changes that have been made in the life and appearance of turkey since its formation as a republic in 1923 it is necessary to look back into history to see what the land of the Turks was like before this is the Republic of Turkey today a nation straddling two continents the part in Asia the smaller in Europe Europe European and Asian turkey are separated by a natural system of waterways called The Straits that connects the Black Sea and the aian Sea a narrow fastf flowing Channel called the bosporus leads from the Black Sea into the sea of marmura leading out from the sea of marmura to the aian sea is another river-like Channel this one called The Darden Els we are looking across the plains to the dardel from a place called Hiser here the remains of nine ancient cities have been found each one built on the ruins of its predecessor the first city dates back 5,000 years Troy was the name of the six City here according to ancient Greek legend the Trojan wars were fought Achilles odyusa battled here for Helen of Troy by the 8th Century BC there were many Greek cities located in land that is now turkey Troy Sardis smna pergamum Ephesus these are the ruins of the city of Ephesus these ruins are both Greek and Roman the cities became part of the Roman Empire about a 100 years before the the birth of Christ this is pergamum another ancient Greek city that became Roman these are ruins of the escalapititis [Music] the Romans built these defensive walls the ancient Greek city had been made the Eastern capital of the Roman Empire and its name changed to Constantinople the Christian Church of Santa Sophia was built by the Romans in the 6th Century a the Roman Empire had become Christian soon after the capital was founded at Constantinople [Music] another chapter in the city's history is disclosed by the Slender Towers called minettes which were added later by the moslim Turks the Turks were a nomadic people who came from Central Asia they adopted the Muslim religion as they moved West the Turks arrived in the land which is now turkey in the 11th century and established their first Empire 3 centuries later a tribe of Turks called the OT utans Rose to power the Ottoman empire grew quickly but as with other conquerors control of The Straits was vital to their success the Ottomans systematically set out to conquer Constantinople a Turkish Castle had been built on the Asian side of the vosis in 1452 they built another on the European side just a short distance north from Constantinople from this strong point a Complete Siege of Constantinople was possible the Turks had for their time the most modern instruments of war and their soldiers were experts at using them finally after more than 60 years of struggle the city fell and the Christian decorations inside Santa Sophia were replaced with Muslim phrases in Arabic [Music] script the city became the the center of the Muslim world and has remained so for 500 years the capture of Constantinople renamed Istanbul by the Turks led to more ottoman conquests first in the balans and Central Europe and then extending around the Mediterranean the power of the empire was concentrated in the palace at Istanbul where Sultans reclined on the cushions of this elevated Throne surrounded by precious jewels new mosques were built rivaling Santa Sophia in size this is the Blue Mosque built by order of Sultan Ahmed the power and wealth of the Ottoman Empire made it envied and feared throughout Europe and in 1683 the Turks struck at the heart of Europe with a Siege of Vienna The Siege failed and that marked the beginning of the decline of the Ottomans in time the peoples of the Balkans and even the moslims of North Africa broke away and established National states by the time of the first world war little was left of their empire and of the little that was left most was placed under the control of other nations because the Ottomans had fought on the losing side as allies of Germany the Greeks landed at the Port of smirna to claim their share of the land of the Turks but the Turks for a defeated people had a great deal of fight left in them under the leadership of a man named Mustafa kemel they drove the Greeks back to smna which in the course of battle was burned out of the Flames a new and very different turkey arose there was no more Empire the sultan was overthrown and Mustafa kemel became the first president of the new Turkish Republic the turkey inherited by the new president was the remnant of a backward and crumbling Empire Mustafa kemel believed that turkey had to change into a progressive western style Nation if it was to survive and prosper in the modern world and it had to change quickly Mustafa kemel decided to change it by law by law Turks would no longer wear The Fez and other Oriental style clothing they would wear western hats and western clothes all Turks would take a family name uncommon under Muslim culture for example Mustafa kemel would become Mustafa kemel atat the complicated Arabian script was no longer to be the alphabet of the land a phonetic Latin type alphabet was developed for writing the Turkish language it was against the law to use any other the result the 90% illiteracy of the Ottoman days shrank with a simplified alphabet people could learn to read more [Music] easily many Powers were taken from the church the country remained Muslim but the church lost its political and legal power no longer was the church the only teacher of students the only maker of laws statues were erected even though mlim custom discouraged man-made representations of the human form by law Ataturk tried to change the traditions of a people to dramatize the break with the past the capital for the new turkey was moved from Istanbul to the ancient town of Anora in central turkey and a modern city was built there Ataturk lies buried in this tomb in Anora for 15 years he molded turkey to the image he conceived although he was called a president he ruled as a dictator a grateful people erected this Monument but his real Monument is the turkey he left behind him atat Turk succeeded in a remarkably short span of time in radically altering the course of his Nation today in many ways turkey is as he wanted it to be a Modern Nation but Turks realize that they still have a long way to go before they catch up with the rich industrial nations of the world and in Turkey today there is a continuing and obvious effort being made to catch up each year there are more schools and more students in them only only with a well-educated population capable of intelligent self-government Can Turkey hope to become a republic in [Music] reality turkey is primarily an agricultural country farming peasants like these men make up 75% of turkey's [Music] population many of these people have resisted the spirit of atat Turks westernizing reforms many of them Farm today using the same primitive techniques used by their forefathers for centuries threshing wheat with a horsedrawn sled winnowing wheat With the Wind more modern farming methods are being practiced in Turkey Sometimes using machines manufactured in Turkish plants and there is an active and growing program to teach Farmers particularly young ones how to use modern equipment and to make them want to use it but it will take a great deal of Education as well as a great many tractors to make this site as common as this one the Turkish highway system is being expanded particularly in the Central and Eastern parts of the country which have long been too remote for lack of Roads turkey is a land of many climates but the great interior of the country is for the most part mountainous and dry in the interior water is precious and must be saved and controlled and used since the days of the Ottoman Empire there has been a deci in Turkish industry but despite that growth turkey today is far from being a full-fledged industrial nation turkey produces some of the industrial good she needs often with the help of foreign Capital she also exports some products of her indust industry these Jeeps were built in Turkey however agricultural products make up the large share of Turkish exports such products as cotton and raisins find a market in Europe and Turkish tobacco is sold all over the world the port of smna called ismir by the Turks has been rebuilt from the fires that damaged it and is a busy Port today but turkey's balance of trade is not good the total value of the good she must import is far greater than the value of the good she exports to balance her economy turkey must produce more products for her own use at [Music] home another problem of international scope a Russian tanker travels past Istanbul riding the fast current of the bosporus Russia has only two main ports in the eastern part of her huge Nation one is Arctic mormans where shipping is slowed in the winter months by Ice the other is Odessa on the warm Black Sea ships sailing in and out of Odessa must pass through Turkish territory in order to reach the oceans and ports of the world for centuries Russia has coveted control of The Straits today as in the past turkey and her allies are determined to keep them under Turkish control the southeast European command for NATO is located at the Port of ismir the Turks have proven themselves in battle for hundreds of years but a small country needs help against a large one and turkey receives help both economic and Military from her NATO allies in the last years of its decline the once great Ottoman Empire was often referred to as the sick man of Europe today turkey is not a sick man a remarkable Force change in an entire nation's way of life has caused the Turks to put aside thoughts of past Grandeur in favor of taking a giant step forward into the modern world turkey has not yet reached her goal of becom an entirely modern and self-sufficient Nation but in striving for it she has gained strength which helps her to continue her pursuit of progress the old man may dream of the Glorious Days of the past the young men are proud of those days proud of their Heritage as Turks but young eyes today in turkey look to the Future oh [Music]