Nationalism was a huge force in the 20th century. During this century many new countries were born. Turkey was founded in 1923 from a portion of the Ottoman Empire, following its collapse as a result of World War I. Mustafa Kemal led this new country. He made many changes and reforms in Turkey. One reform was changing the dress code of Turkey. Kemal's dress code helped Turkey's nationalism.
The old dress code consisted of baggy trousers that fit over a loose flowing robe. (Heller, 137) The most important part of the old dress code was the fez. The fez was a scarlet-purple felt cylinder cap, ornamented with a long black tassel. It symbolized a traditionalist and religious spirit in Turkey. (Yayynevi).
Kemal, against this old dress code, decided to take action. Kemal wished to ban the fez, but before he did, he wanted to test the reaction of the people. In the army, he replaced the fez with a brimmed hat saying that it would block out the sun. (Heller, 139) No one really protested these new hats so Kemal and the National Assembly banned the old dress code including the fez. (Heller, 138) .
Kemal thought that the old dress code was inferior because it represented all of the old Islamic traditions. He wanted a modern dress code instead. He took the new code from western civilizations, and it consisted of shoes, trousers, a waistcoat, a shirt, a tie, a jacket, and finally peaked or brimmed headgear. (Heller, 137).
It was, however, difficult to enact the new dress code because people were not ready for such a quick change. Kemal had ways of helping the people of Turkey accept the change. He began by giving reasons for changing the dress code. He used the example of when the Europeans enslaved or humiliated the Ottoman Empire and the Moslem people to support his claims. (Yayynevi) He also said that the fez was an emblem of ignorance and hatred of progress and civilization. (Yayynevi) To spread his message, he used telegraph wires.
