Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's six great principles (in Turkish Altı Ok ) while founding the modern Turkish Republic. Also the symbol of the Republican People's Party (CHP = Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi), which was also established by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk just before (9th September 1923) the declaration of the Turkish Republic in 29th October 1923.

The six arrows are as follows:

• Republicanism: (Cumhuriyetçilik) The modern Turkish state is governed as a parliamentary democracy leaded by an independent and politically objective non-party-aligned president. There is no conflict between Atatürk's republicanism and democracy, there is the division of democratic forces, a popularly elected parliament (Turkish Grand National Assembly) as the legislative branch, a cabinet and the president as the executive branch, and the independent judge system as the judiciary branch.

• Nationalism: (Milliyetçilik) All the citizens living within the borders of Turkey are Turks, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, race, sect, sexual preference, philosophical idea or belief. This nationalism has no links with fascism, and Atatürk's nationalism strongly opposes imperialism, and promotes peace. However, if there is any attack to the national unity and solidarity to the Turkish Republic, it will immediately be replied.

• Statism: (Devletçilik) The power of state intervenes in the economy where the public interests and social welfare is more important than profit-making. Also, when the private sector is not powerful enough to increase employment and create new employment areas, the state uses its initiative to conduct businesses, establish factories, banks, and so forth. This statism is not a derivative of communism or socialism, it has similarities with the universal principles of social democracy.

• Populism: (Halkçılık) Every Turkish citizen is equal before the law, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, race, sect, sexual preference, philosophical idea or belief. The Turkish Republic protects the rights of every Turkish national in terms of economy, culture, identity, and heritage. The gap between the rich and the poor will immediately be removed and social welfare will be achieved.

• Secularism: (Laiklik) The most solid and maybe the most important, untouchable, unchangeable principle of Atatürk is secularism. Turkish state has no religion, and may not have any in the future. The Turkish state is at equal distance to every religion, does not promote or condemn any religion. According to two legislations dating 1931 and 1937, the article "The established religion of Turkey is Islam" was removed from the constitution and the principles of secularism and revolutionism were added to the constitution instead. No Turkish politician can claim to be a protector of any religion or religious sect, that is a reason for banning a political party permanently in Turkey. Caliphate was abolished in 3rd March 1924 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and the Turkish Republic remains neutral in religious affairs except the Presidency of Religious Affairs, which is responsible of the religious management of Sunni Muslims in Turkey. The course of religion is compulsory in elementary and high schools, except the minority schools (They have their own religious courses controlled by the Ministry of Education).

• Revolutionism = Reformism (Devrimcilik = İnkılapçılık) There is still a dispute over the name of this principle. Most of the Turkish left refers to this principle as Revolutionism, whereas the center and the right refers to it as reformism because of the banning of the term "revolution" after the military coup in 1980. Atatürk's revolutions in social life and the political issues are irreversible (with no return to the old systems), especially the secular reforms introduced by the abolishing of the caliphate, religious dresses, religious adjectives and the old Arabic script. Atatürk never accepts a stop or a transition phase while applying the revolutions, for instance the replacement of the Arabic script with the new Turkish alphabet (Latin script) totally took place in just a month or two.

The last two principles were accepted and entered the constitution after the first four, and afterwards became the unchangeable articles.

External links

• Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (CHP) (Republican People's Party)- [[1]]