İsmet İnönü

From Freepedia

Mustafa İsmet İnönü (1884 - December 25, 1973) was a Turkish soldier, statesman and the second President of Turkey.

He was born in Izmir to a Kurdish family with descent in Malatya. İnönü graduated from the Military Academy in 1903 and received his first military assignment in the Ottoman army. He joined the Committee of Union and Progress. He won his first military victories by suppressing two major revolts against the struggling Ottoman Empire, first in Rumelia and second in Yemen whose leader was Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din). He was also the millitary officer on the preparition of the new frontier between Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria after Balkan Wars. During World War I, he fought on the eastern front in Syria, then he was appointed as the commander of the western fronts. During his asseigment in Caucasus he worked with Atatürk. After World War I he passed the Anatolia to joint to Turkish nationalist movement. After the default of Ali Fuat Cebesoy to organize the local turkish rebelious troops, he became the general commander of the western turkish army and remained in this position during War of Independence. He was promoted to brigadier general after the "Battles of İnönü", in which he successfully defended the central Anatolian territory against the Greek Army. During War of Independence he was also member of the Grand National Assembly.

He made a career change by being chosen as the chief of the Turkish team in the Lausanne Negotiations. İnönü had been Prime Minister of Turkey for several terms maintaining the system Atatürk had put in place. He was promoted after every crises (such as the civil disorder of Sheikh Said or temptation of an assassination to Atatürk in Izmir) to restore the peace in country. He managed the succesful economical take-off especialy during after the 1929 economical crise by planification with the help Soviet Union. After the death of Atatürk his was the only name to replace him and he was elected as the second President of the Republic of Turkey. His biggest political achievement was maintaining Turkey out of the World War II. In 1950 his party lost the general election and presided over the peaceful transfer of power to the Democratic Party. İnönü served for ten years as leader of the opposition before returning to power after the coup of 1960.

Ismet Inönü was by the standards of his time a highly educated man, speaking Arabic, German, French and English. His son, Erdal İnönü, is a former leader of the Republican People's Party and deputy prime minister of Turkey.

Preceded by: Mustafa Kemal Atatürk	President of Turkey 1938–1950	Succeeded by: Celal Bayar
Preceded by: Rauf Orbay Ali Fethi Okyar Emin Fahrettin Özdilek	Prime Minister of Turkey 1923–1924 1925–1937 1961–1965	Succeeded by: Ali Fethi Okyar Celal Bayar Suad Hayri Ürgüplü