What was Atatürk's central idea of national sovereignty?
My central idea, the bedrock of our revolution, is that sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation. Egemenlik kayıtsız şartsız milletindir. This means that the ultimate authority and power within the state reside with the Turkish people, not with a monarch, an empire, or any external power. This principle was not merely a political slogan; it was the driving force behind our War of Independence and the foundation upon which the Republic was built. It asserts the inherent right of a people to govern themselves and to determine their own destiny, free from oppression and foreign domination. This conviction fueled our every action.
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