What Is Kemalism?
Kemalism or Atatürkism is a political ideology based on the ideas of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of Turkey. Its symbol is the Six Arrows. Part of the Technocratic family.
Definition
Kemalism or Atatürkism is a political ideology based on the ideas of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of Turkey. Its symbol is the Six Arrows.
Definition quoted from Wikipedia: Kemalism (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; checked October 20, 2026).
Core ideas
- Secularism (laiklik).
- Turkish nationalism and republicanism.
- State-led modernization.
Origins
Turkey in the 1920s–1930s.
Associated thinkers and leaders
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Kemalism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 47 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 33 | toward progressive | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 69 | toward authoritarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 92 | strongly toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 48 | near the center |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 69 | toward private ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 65 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 92 | strongly toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 39 | near the center |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 73 | toward autocratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 63 | near the center |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 85 | toward state planning |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 48 | near the center |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 19 | toward secular state |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Religious doctrine should take precedence over civil law when they conflict. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National borders should become less important over time. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Markets generally distribute goods more effectively than government planners. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A strong leader who gets things done matters more than following proper procedures. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Class distinctions should gradually disappear. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National security can justify restrictions on what journalists publish. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Non-intervention should be the default even when allies request military assistance. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Leaders who win elections should face fewer checks from courts and the civil service. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with State Capitalism, Kemalism sits 18 points further toward progressive on the social dimension.
- Compared with Developmentalism, Kemalism sits 23 points further toward nationalist on the national identity dimension.
- Compared with Technocratic Authoritarianism, Kemalism sits 38 points further toward nationalist on the national identity dimension.
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Kemalism.
Sources
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.