Pan-Turkism
Pan-Turkism is a political movement aimed at uniting the various Turkic peoples into modern political states.
While the various Turkic peoples often share historical, cultural and linguistical roots, the rising of a pan-Turkic political movement is a phenomen only of the 20th century and can be seen in parallel with European developments like pan-Slavism and pan-Germanism or with middle-eastern like Pan-Arabism. Particularly the latter is one many proponents will often use as main point of comparison.
Following the downfall of the Ottoman Empire with its multi-cultural and multi-ethnic population, influenced by emerging racial theories and by the Turkish nationalism of the early years of the Republic of Turkey some tried to replace the lost empire with a new Turkish commonwealth.
One of the most significant early exponents of pan-Turkism is Enver Pasha, the Ottoman Minister of War during World War I, and one of the architects of the Armenian Genocide at that time, which was designed to eliminate the one ethnic group seperating Turkic people in Anatolia and Central Asia. He later became one of the leaders of the Basmachi movement in Central Asia during the Russian revolutionary wars.
While of little impact during much of the 20th century, the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the late 20th century meant that the majority of the Turkic peoples were suddenly again accessible for travel, economic and academic exchange and as partners in political alliances.
Turkey has become a major business partner to many Central Asian Turkic states, helped with the reform of higher education, the introduction of the Latin alphabet, economic development and commerce and continues to work for a pan-Turkic alliance.
The TOMER Institute of Ankara University, Turkey's main cultural exchange agency (similar in function to Institut Français, Goethe Institute or British Council) has taken an international lead in furthering linguistic research and teaching of Turkic languages.
The political pan-Turkic movement is linked with parallel development of theories of the racial origin of Turkic peoples, with some linguistic theories about the Ural-Altaic languages and with some theories about ancient archeology, e.g. the origin of the Sumerians as being early Turks. The Kemalist movement in Turkey to "clean" the Turkish language from foreign (mostly Persian and Arabic) influence and particularly the Sun Language Theory, proposed by Kemal Ataturk himself, can all be seen as part of this same intellectual climate.
Pan-Turkism is and has always been a movement viewed with suspicion by many, particularly by non-Turks. Some see it as nothing else but a new form of Turkish hegemonial and imperial ambition. Some see it as downright racist, particularly when considering the associated racial and historical teachings. Proponents see it as a way of increasing regional security, economic growth and as a viable bullwark against Islamist movements, by furthering laicistic and democratic government in the region.
