Now began the astonishing reform programme which, in spite of abortive uprisings and revolts, Kemal carried through with such ruthless determination. With an infalllable instinct for Propaganda, he erected sensational facade of innovation—the insistence on occidental hats and the Roman alphabet, ete.—behind which he methodically and steadily rebuilt Turkey on modern Lines.
Rebellion resulted in the fanatical Black Sea region, but it was ruthless-quelled With the Turkish women Kemal used persuasion rather than force, and employed all his eloquence and personality in inducing them to discard their veils and shorten their voluminous skirts.
At the same time Kemal tried to foster the spirit of patriotism and national pride. His next move was to free Turkey from the religious shackles of Islam. In 1928 the final top was taken when the National Assembly struck out Article 11 of the Constitution which read: "The religion of the Turkish State is Islam." Personal religious liberty was established, This epoch-making move brought many subsidy reforms in its wake.
It meant the end of polygamy, of the fanatical monastic orders The change also involved 2 new civil code, based on that of Switzerland, which put women on an equality with men in matters of divorce and inheritance. A new penal code based on that of Italy, and a commercial code on the German lines, quickly followed, and the whole judicial m was brought up to date.
Another of Kemal's boldest attacks was that which he launched against the nation's illiteracy.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.