drewfromtheTurkishdebateabouttheorganizationofyouth.Nevertheless,he
stillshowedconsiderableinterestindevelopmentsinthisfield,particularlyin
foreigncountriesruledbyauthoritarianism.¹⁷⁵
TowardsaNationalTurkishYouthOrganization, 1927 – 1932
In 1928 theMinistryofEducationwasgrantedthepowertoregulatethemember-
shipandthenewadmissionofmembersinthevolunteerBoyScoutsorganiza-
tions.¹⁷⁶Mostofthoselocalassociationswereboundtostateschoolsledby
teachers.¹⁷⁷In addition, acompulsory militaryinstruction course (Askerlik
Dersi)wasintroducedin 1926 for allboysandgirlsinsecondaryschool.¹⁷⁸
CoursebookscontainedstrikingreferencestoGermanmilitaryideas.¹⁷⁹
TheTurkisharmypartiallylostitsinfluenceinthedebatethatwasnowdo-
minatedbycivilauthorities.Theoutcomeoftheongoingdebatewas,ontheone
side,theproposalofaRevolutionaryYouthAssociation(İnkılâpGençleriDerne-
ği)bytheMinistryofEducation,orientedtowardsinstillingKemalistprinciples
inschooledyouth.Ontheotherhand,therewastheGreywolvesorganizaton
(BozkurtTeşkilatı)proposedbytheGeneralStaff,targetingalsothosechildren
thathadnoschoolintheirplaceofresidence.¹⁸⁰Obviously,thelatterproposal
servedarathernationalistandpoliticalaim,intendingtoincreasetheinfluence
oftheMinistryofDefenceontheorganization.Thiscouldhavebeenoneofthe
SeehisideasonMussolini’syouthorganizations;SelimSırrı:“İtalya’daHalkveGençlik
Teşkilatı”[ThePeople’sandYouthOrganizationinItaly],Ülkü(April 1933 ), 241 – 24 3andon
theRomanianoneinSelimSırrıTarcan,“Romanya’dakiGençlikTeşkilatı”[TheYouthOrganiza-
tioninRomania],BedenTerbiyesiveSpor 1 – 5( 19 39), 1 – 2.
Lawnumber 1246 ,T.C.ResmiGazete(21May 1928 ), 17 4.SeealsoAkcan,İttihatveTerakki
Fırkası’nın,3 17.
SeethealbumissuedbytheMinistryofEducationwhichdepictsBoyScoutgroupsinboys’
secondaryschoolsinTrabzon,Eskişehir,KastamonuandErzuru;MaarifVekaleti,MaarifAlbümü
[EducationAlbum](Ankara:MaarifVekaleti, 1928 ), 63 – 64.
HasanÜnder,“Goltz,MilletiMüsellahaveKemalizmdekiSpartanÖğeler”[Goltz,TheNa-
tioninArmsandKemalistSpartanElements],TarihveToplum 20 6( 20 01),52.
SeetheuseofanillustrationsintheTurkishschoolbooksbasedonaGermanillustration
fromamilitaryperiodical.IntheTurkishbook,publishedbyanactivegeneral,anattacking
groupofsoldiersfollowingtheirofficerwasonlyslightlyadaptedtoTurkishmilitaryuniform
standards,andborethecaption“Infantrysoldiers”,cf.CemalTahir,AskerliğeHazırlıkDersleri
[MilitaryServicePreparationClasses],vol.1(Istanbul:HarbiyeMektebiMatbaası,1 92 5), 10.
TheGermanoriginalreads:“Theleader[Führer]istherolemodelforhismen.Hisattitude
andexampleissweepingthetroopsalongtosacrificingdeeds.”Kriegskunst2( 1925 ), 184.
Akcan,İttihatveTerakkiFırkası’nın,3 17 – 318.
TowardsaNationalTurkishYouthOrganization, 1927 – 1932 139