How did a collapsing empire give birth to a resilient, modern republic? In The Foundation, master historian İlber Ortaylı traces the harrowing and heroic journey from the final days of the Ottoman Empire to the birth of modern Turkey. He begins by examining the profound trauma of the Balkan Wars—which he defines not merely as the empire's collapse, but as the heartbreaking loss of the Rumelian homeland—and the widespread devastation of the First World War. Yet, Ortaylı argues, it was amidst this very suffering, disease, and martyrdom that the Turkish people truly forged their modern national identity and unwavering resilience.

Ortaylı provides brilliant insights into the most fiercely debated events and figures of this transitional era. He evaluates the Lausanne Peace Treaty not as a defeat or an exaggerated victory, but as a "logical and highly honorable compromise" essential for lasting order. Through his meticulous historical lens, he underscores that the Republic was not a sudden rupture but a profound continuation of statehood: "The Ottoman was the empire of the Turks, and this is the republic of the Turks."

At the heart of this miraculous foundation lies the unyielding will of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Ortaylı attributes Atatürk's success to his "Rumelian stubbornness" and an uncompromising resolve that outright refused to accept the oppressive world order imposed by the victors of World War I. Exploring everything from the War of Independence and the abolition of the Caliphate to historical figures like Sultan Abdülhamid and Enver Pasha, this book is an unmissable guide for anyone seeking to understand the turbulent genesis of the modern Turkish state.