Sadri Maksudi: how a Kazan Tatar man quarreled with Atatürk because of the name of Herman Gref’s bank

Life and work of a Tatar enlightener – on the onset of the Turkish state. Part 2

Famous Tatar scientist and politician Sadri Maksudi was very respected not only in his homeland but also abroad. He was Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's right hand and generator of ideas. Kazan researcher of the life of the Tatar and Turkish activist Milyausha Gaynanova continues to acquaint the readers of Realnoe Vremya with a teeming activity of Maksudi in the young Turkish Republic that became the second motherland of the enlightener. In her new column, read why he deserves a monument in Kazan.

'The Turkish government needed modern laws'

There were made significant changes in almost all spheres after the proclamation of the government of the Republic of Turkey. Atatürk needed pro-European educated people to form a new Turkish Republic, create a new government and materialise all his reforms. Foreign experts were invited to Turkey during that period. Sadri Maksudi was among them. From 1925, the politician participated in the cultural and social life of the new Republic of Turkey. Atatürk took Maksudi to his bosom as an ideologist of national and liberation movement of the Turkish people, as an ideologist of Turkism. In the new conditions, he was a like-minded person of Yusuf Akchura and Atatürk in the unitarian government. A series of activists saw the development of the Republic of Turkey based on national values. The concept of 'nationalism' meant patriotism and love for a nation.

The developing Republic of Turkey needed modern laws, a new constitution. And Sadri Maksudi actively helped in the creation of the regulations that were borrowed from the law system of Switzerland, France and other European countries. A law system was needed for the stability of the state power. This is why the scientist wrote a series of endeavours on Philosophy of Labour and the History of Turkic Law. He was designated as a teacher at the Ankara Law School upon his arrival. He taught Turkic Law, Philosophy of Law, was a professor at the Ankara (1925—1943) and Istanbul (1943—1955) Universities.

Sadri Maksudi's endeavours like Lectures on the History of Turkic Law ( Türk Hukuk Tarihi Dersleri, 1928), Basics of Law (Hukukun Umumi Esasları, 1937), Philosophy of Law (Hukukun Pozitif Felsefesi, 1937), General History of Law (Umumi Hukuk Tarihi, 1941), History of Philosophy of Law (Hukuk Felsefesi Tarihi, 1946) tell about the originality, deep mind and knowledge of the history of the Turkic people.

In the new conditions, he was a like-minded person of Yusuf Akchura and Atatürk in the unitarian government. Photo: Gayaz Iskhaky and Yusuf Akchura. Instanbul, 1931, museum.ru

Language reform

The reform of the Turkish language was a landmark in the life of Turkey at the beginning of the government of Mustafa Kemal. The Latin script was officially adopted in the Republic of Turkey in 1928 instead of the Arabic script that was used before. In line with these changes, Maksudi published a series of articles Lisan ıslahı meselesi (Problems of the Language Reform) in Milliyet newspaper. These articles were based on his research in Europe. His voluminous endeavour Türk dili için (For the Turkish Language) appeared in 1930. The scientist started to work on it in Europe and finished in Turkey. The message of this book was to prove the inevitability of the creation of the modern literary Turkish language. The epilogue dated back to 2 September 1930 was written by very Atatürk. Maksudi's hard work in linguistics was based on the experience of the Turkic languages. Sadri Maksudi stubbornly insisted that the ancient Turkic people had a developed terminology in governance, animal husbandry and agriculture. Supporting the adoption of the Latin script and clearance of the Turkish language from foreign and Arabic and Persian borrowings, in general, he offered to base on the languages of Turkic people. Maksudi did not like the Language Commission that worked on the transfer to the Latin script. He refused İsmet İnönü's offer to chair this commission. Adile Ayda (his daughter) explained that Maksudi did not want to participate in mistakes the incompetent commission could make and assume the responsibility.

Sadri Maksudi worked on history, law and language not only because he was interested in them but also because they were the factors of the creation of a new Turkic nation.

The Latin script was officially adopted in the Republic of Turkey in 1928 instead of the Arabic script that was used earlier. Photo: theataturksocietyofcanada.ca

People's nominee and diplomat

In his new homeland, the Tatar activist worked on political and social affairs to his dying day. He was elected to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey three times. In 1931, Maksudi was elected to the Parliament as a representative of the Republican People's Party from Şebinkarahisar that chaired until 1934. In the Republic of Turkey, the activist's views stressed the idea of a national state. The development of the Turkish national government became the major strategic area of his work. The focus on research on the Turkic history, law and Turkish language stems from here. In all his statements, Maksudi notes that sovereignty, freedom and human rights are the key principles of a state construction.

In February 1935, Sadri Maksudi was elected for the next term to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey from Giresun province because Şebinkarahisar became a part of Giresun province.

Sadri Maksudi Arsal dedicated the second term of the work in the Parliament (1935—1939) to Turkey's foreign policy. In 1936, he visited London and Glasgow together with the delegation of the assembly. In 1936, he was in Czechoslovakia. Maksudi was a member of the Turkish delegation in the assembly of the League of Nations that took place in London in 1936 and in Wrocław in 1937 where the Turkish delegation participated in discussions and negotiations.

From 1950 to 1954, Maksudi was elected as deputy to the National Assembly from Ankara as a representative of the Democratic Party.

In Turkey, he started to support democratic views by the end of his political career. He was one of the best speakers of his time, participated in the work of the League of Nations and other important events in the Republic of Turkey.

Maksudi was a member of the Turkish delegation in the assembly of the League of Nations that took place in London in 1936. Photo: picturehistory.livejournal.com

After the accident

In 1953, 74-year-old Maksudi was hurt in a car accident. He no longer presented his nominee for the election. His friend and compatriot Gayaz Iskhaky's death became a severe hurt. Before Iskhaki's death, the friend asked to bury him in Istanbul and hand Sadri Maksudi his silver-plated stick – a gift of Kazan Tatars living in Japan.

After a splendid work in the Parliament of Turkey, old Maksudi ended his political career and started to write the most important endeavour of his life. A book called Milliyet Duygusunun Sosyolojik Esasları (Sociologic Bases of National Self-Consciousness) was published in 1955. This big philosophic labour of Maksudi is supposed to be one of his best works where the author thinks about the nation and nationalism. After his death, this endeavour was issued twice – in 1957 and 1974.

Sadretdin Nizametdin oghlu Maksudi Arsal's scientific, pedagogical and social activity in Turkey was under the ruling of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1923—1938), İsmet İnönü (1938—1950) and Mahmut Celâl Bayar. The most fructiferous work of Maksudi was in the Atatürk period. The Tatar activist respected the first President for his national ideas, liberation movement that he chaired. And after the arrival in the new republic, the scientist started to work hard for the good and development of Turkey because he considered the Tatar and Turkish people's spirit, religion and common Turkic history was very close. Yusuf Akchura and Sadri Maksudi were Mustafa Kemal's close friends among the Tatars. These two friends are meant to be Atatürk's advisers in his reforms. President invited them to his residence — Çankaya Presidential Mansion – for evening meals. They not only talked but also solved important problems on domestic and exterior affairs of the republic. In 1955, the

Institute of Turkish Revolution History published a book called Atatürk'ün Nöbet Defteri (Atatürk's Guardroom Journal). According to this book, Maksudi was invited to such meals until 1937. In 1937, from 13 March to 23 November, he visited the mansion eight times, that is to say, before the case of Denizbank (Denizbank – a part of the Sberbank group now).

Despite his successful social, political and scientific career in 1937, Maksudi became a target for criticism by politicians and the mass media just because he dared to contradict Atatürk. Photo: hizliresimyukle.com

Disagreements with Kemal

The first quarrel between Maksudi and Atatürk was in 1935 because of the Sun Language Theory. According to this theory, all languages originated from the Turkish language. Maksudi did not support the theory, in spite of the fact that it was approved by the one and only Atatürk.

The second case was connected with the name of the bank. Despite his successful social, political and scientific career in 1937, Maksudi became a target for criticism by politicians and the mass media just because he dared to contradict Atatürk. To be more precisely, he told the name given by Atatürk to the bank Denizbank did not correspond to the Turkish grammar rules because the Turkish language did not have the word 'bank' and any formation with this word would be foreign. He offered to change the name from Denis Bank to Deniz Bankası. After this statement, Sadri Maksudi was accused of ignorance and was removed from teaching profession at the university. However, as Adile Ayda writes in her book, Atatürk did not approve such criticism towards Maksudi and forbade further accusations. So, this case demonstrated Sadri Maksudi's strong character and frankness.

It should be noted Sadri Maksudi is one of the Tatars who emigrated after the October Revolution in 1917 who managed to reach such great success: he was a professor, President's adviser, a Parliament member, candidate for the president of the republic. He was given titles, became a member of the Historical Commission, was elected to the Turkish Parliament three times, was one of the acting persons in the League of Nations and his nominee was on the list of candidates for the president of Turkey in 1950. It illustrates deep knowledge, patience, hard work and that Sadri Maksudi was a sincere supporter of the corporate nature of Turkey.

Many people ask themselves: 'What did Sadri Maksudi do for the Tatars in Turkey?' The answer is that in the Republic of Turkey he worked on the improvement of the Turkish linguistics, worked in the Parliament on Domestic and Foreign Affairs. However, despite it, he wrote endeavours about all Turkic history and law.

He is a man born in a Tatar village who later emigrated and found his place in his new homeland, became Atatürk's close person and adviser, participated in important reforms of the republic and deserves a deep respect from the both Turkish and Tatar people.

Sadri Maksudi died in 1957 in Istanbul. One of the streets of this city bears his name.

Here is the first part of his bio.