Do you know him?

Many European people may wonder why Turks are giving a big fuss about the death of a single person which happened 72 years ago. If you are in Turkey this very day, you may be shocked to see that every single vehicle on every road in Turkey comes to a halt in the middle of busy roads exactly at 9.05am, pushing their horns as hard as they can. All you can hear will be the deafening sound of horns, and absolutely nothing else. That continuous murmuring noise on the streets, the sound of high heels on the pavement, the music coming from a distant café… All will be gone. Everybody around you will be standing still, with their arms held tightly on their sides with sad faces, faces that reflect the grief for a single man.

It’s no surprise that his death caused not only the people from his nation, but also many powerful entities in the world to come forward and express their true sorrow for losing this man, no matter what their political positions were. Besides being a war hero respected by every enemy he has encountered, he rebuilt a nation from ashes in a surprisingly short time frame. And not just a nation that can only stand on its feet, a powerful and energetic nation that astonished the world and that was the first to receive a private invitation from United Nations. No need to mention his great heart, which nobody has ever been able to forget.

I am aware that you can’t be objective while describing someone who saved your entire nation. That’s why, in his memory, I am giving some quotes from around the world, which were published after his death. These quotes might also be helpful for Turkish people as well, some of whom seem to have forgotten who he was.

“The Greatest Man of History” English Press, London

"History has seen many great people. It has seen Alexander the Great's, Napoleon's, Washington's. However, in the twentieth century the record for greatness was broken by Atatürk, this Turkish son of a Turk." L'IIIustration Newspaper, France

“He was one of the most extraordinary persons of the era, even perhaps of entire history“ Egyptian Journal

“Atatürk is one of the rare geniuses that the world has put forth. He has changed the entire course of history.” An Nahar Journal (Lebanon)

“Atatürk is the man who created the biggest truth of the twentieth century.” Kponhag-Nasyonal Tidende (Belgium)

“The work that Ataturk has achieved, with intelligent and peaceful methods, will leave traces in the history of mankind.” Albert LEBRUN (French President)

"Atatürk was one of the greatest statesmen of everyone who has lived and died throughout history. At no time did he dwell on the period in which he lived, he would see the future and accordingly would carry out a task." Lord Patrick Kinross

I salute by bowing my head with my deep respects to this Greatest Man of our history, the one who created Turkey. Professor Morrf (Switzerland)

"In no other country have women advanced this rapidly. It is truly a unique event in history for a nation to change to this degree.” Daily Telegraph Newspaper, England

“This could be presented to mankind as an example of untested philosophy. Atatürk has done in ten years, the work that could take centuries.” Gerrad Tongas (Writer)

"My sorrow is that, it is no longer possible to fulfil my strong wish about meeting with this man.” Franklin D. ROOSEVELT (U.S. President)

"The world, by no means and at no time, has witnessed such an exciting event as the re-founding of Turkey with a Western point of view and belief." Social Demokraten Newspaper, Sweden

The President of Haiti wrote a sentence in his will in 1996 to be written on his gravestone: “I died in happiness to have understood and followed the Turkish leader Atatürk in my whole life.”

“Without doubt, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is one of the greatest statesmen that during the 20. Century and before the war has ever arisin; he has been a brave and great reformist that no other people have ever known.” Ben GURION (Israel Prime Minister 1963)

“The world has lost the most attention calling man of our era.” Palestine Post (Israel)

“Atatürk has left Turkey without a single enemy. This is something that no other state leader of our time has succeeded in doing.” German Volkischer Beobachter Journal

Below are the words of the English Prime Minister Lloyd George, known as a Turkish enemy, while he answered the accusations and criticism in the English Parliament for the retreat of the British Army from Anatolia in 1922: “Dear Sirs, you may see an exceptional genius in centuries. It is very unfortunate for us that the great genius of this era came up from the Turkish Nation. There was nothing to be done against the brilliance of Mustafa Kemal.”

“The death of Atatürk, who saved Turkey in the war and resurrected the Turkish Nation after the war, is a great loss not only for his country but also for all of Europe. The tears of people from all classes in the country are nothing but the proof of respect of the brave and modern Turkey for its leader.” Winston CHURCHILL, Prime Minister of England

In his most critical and stressful period in 1938, General McArthur said to more than 120 people consisting of counsellors, senators and ministers: “There is nothing I wouldn’t give to see none of you but Mustafa Kemal with his great genius with me at the moment.”