The Republic of Turkey has gone through three major periods since its inception. The first period involved the War of Independence, under the command of AtatŸrk, and the foundation of a new nation-state based on national will by a National Assembly. The two very significant events during the foundation of a new Turkish state were the declaration of the Republic and the abolition of the Caliphate. As the Caliphate was abolished the principle that political authority originates not from divine orders, but from the people's will was established. This basic principle of the Republic can never be changed. Any attempt to change it will mean the end of the Republic of Turkey.

The second period includes a series of radical reforms to transform Turkish society from a medieval congregation into a modern nation. These reforms were inspired by the philosophy of the Enlightenment and the basic principles of the French Revolution. The images and symbols of modernization are nothing but variants of this radical principle. These symbols are established on legal foundation legislated by the Great Turkish National Assembly. Similarly, in order to establish a new Turkish society one of the crucial goals has been to educate new generations with these principles. AtatŸrk was adamant that the political regime of Turkey should be a democracy. One of the fundamental requirements of democracy is a multi-party system. It was one of AtatŸrk's goals to accomplish this. However his untimely death, followed by World War II, delayed achievement of this objective.

Turkey entered the third period in 1950 when the multi-party system and free elections were adopted. In the third period, Turkey's new democracy started to evolve. During this period competition among political parties to govern became so strong that the principles adopted during the first two periods were forgotten and the country was dragged into political gridlock. Nothing but military coups d'etat saved the country from this anarchy and chaos. New constitutions had to redefine Turkey as a democratic, secular, and social state. This definition is the final word of our seventy-five-year-old political experience. This definition should be taken as the fundamental expression of seventy-five years of progress, reflecting on the future of Turkey and guaranteeing the future of the Republic.