Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938) Ataturk was a soldier, nationalist and statesman who created modern Turkey from the remains of old Ottoman Empire. He was born in Greece, the son of a minor official and went to military academies (1899-1905). He graduated as a captain but as he had sympathies with the young Turks( a group which wanted to reform the old crumbling Turkish Empire ) he was sent to the distant outpost of Syria. He fought against the Italians invading Libya, but his major military triumph was the defeat of the British , French and Australian forces at Gallipoli in World War 1 in 1915. The Western Allies thought they could land on the beaches of Gallipoli and strike at the heart of Germany’s ally, Turkey. In 1919 Greece invaded the defeated Turkey. As the Turkish government signed away parts of their country. Ataturk set up a rival provisional government in the village of Ankara in the north. He then reorganized the army and attacked and defeated the invading Greeks.