Inonu, Ismet

(1884-1973)

   Ismet Inonu became Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's chief lieutenant and successor as president of Turkey in 1938. Some claimed that Inonu was of Kurdish ancestry.

   At first Inonu took a conciliatory position on the Kurdish issue, declaring that modern Turkey was a homeland of the Kurds and Turks. As Turkey's chief negotiator at the Treaty of Lausanne in July 1923, however, Inonu made no special mention of the Kurds. Following the Sheikh Said rebellion in 1925, Inonu is reputed to have declared that only the Turkish nation is entitled to claim ethnic and national rights in this country. No other element has any such right. As Ataturk's first prime minister, Inonu announced draconian measures in the form of the Independence Tribunals to hand down swift capital punishment for the rebels and their supporters.

   In 1950, Inonu allowed Turkey's first competitive elections, which resulted in his defeat and removal from power. He returned to power from 1961 to 1965 following the military coup of 1960. His eldest son, Erdal Inonu, was a prominent leftist Turkish politician in the 1980s and early 1990s, serving briefly as interim prime minister before his retirement.