How should one understand Ataturk and his legacy? In this book, George Gawrych studies Ataturk's career in detail, showing how Ataturk married the traits of the classic military man-of-action with those of the intellectual, theorist and pragmatist as a statesman.

Gawrych places Ataturk in the context of his times to reveal how he harnessed wider forces to set Turkey on a path of secular nationalism and comprehensive modernization. His legacy can be seen everywhere in Turkey today, from the role and rights of women in society to the struggle for developing a democracy in the Republic. Gawrych addresses the costs of Ataturk's policies, including the suppression of minorities and the imposition of a cult of personality and authoritarian rule in the name of 'Turkification'.

The book presents a nuanced analysis of a complex figure who consciously created a living legacy that still casts a shadow over Turkey's political and intellectual discourse.