History Teaching in Ataturk’s Era- I: The Period Prior to the “Turkish History Thesis” (1923-1931)

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate history teaching of the first period of Ataturk’s era called as the period prior to the Turkish History Thesis. After the national independence war, educational programs were revised in accordance with the goals of the new Republic. In the new regulations related with the new programs or curriculum, a special importance was given to history teaching due to its contribution to formation of sense of identity and citizenship consciousness. Therefore, the topics about the Ottoman Empire that were not compatible with the republic were discarded from the curriculum and were replaced by new topics thought as representatives of the ideology of the new Republic. Moreover, history curriculum was centralized through the “Turkish Civilization History” instead of “Islamic History” and “Ottoman Dynasty.” This study deals with a comprehensive evaluation of the history curriculum and history teaching of the period between 1923 and 1931.