Abstract
Modernization is a multifaceted process involving changes in all areas of human thought and activity. The principal aspects of modernization are industrialization, secularization, democratization, spread of education, and media participation. During Mustafa K. Ataturk's period, Ataturk and some progressive people emphasized the policy that the new government under his leadership should not only act to expand educational opportunities for children, young people, and ordinary citizens but also attempt to arouse and strengthen a national consciousness. Because they accepted education as an important key to unlock the door for becoming a modernized Western country. The politics of education are based on nationalism, secularization, populism and pragmatism. When the concept of modernization and the basics of educational policy during Atatuk's period were compared, common points between them can be observed. The basics of the education policy of the Ataturk's period are included in the characteristics of modernization drawn by modernization researchers. They, above all, commonly emphasized secularization, the possibility of change and its desirability, nationalism, and the spread of education.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.