Editing Turanism (section)

==== Turkey ====
Traditional history cites its early origins amongst Ottoman officers and intelligentsia studying and residing in 1870s [[Imperial Germany]]. The fact that many Ottoman Turkish officials were becoming aware of their sense of "Turkishness" is beyond doubt of course, and the role of subsequent nationalists, such as [[Ziya Gökalp]] is fully established historically. As the Turkish historian Hasan Bülent Paksoy put it, an aspiration emerged that the [[Turkic peoples]] might "form a political entity stretching from the [[Altai Mountains]] in [[Eastern Asia]] to the [[Bosphorus]]".<ref>Paksoy, H.B., ‘Basmachi’: Turkestan National Liberation Movement 1916-1930s – Modern Encyclopedia of Religions in Russia and the Soviet Union, Florida: Academic International Press, 1991, Vol. 4</ref> During the late 19th century, the works of renowned Hungarian [[Oriental studies|Orientalist]] and linguist [[Ármin Vámbéry]] contributed to the spreading of [[Turkish nationalism]] and Turanism. Vámbéry was employed by the [[British Foreign office]] as an advisor and agent. He was paid well for his accounts about his meetings with members of the Ottoman elite and Sultan [[Abdul Hamid II]], and for his essays concerning Ottoman politics.<ref>CSIRKÉS Ferenc: Nemzeti tudomány és nemzetközi politika Vámbéry Ármin munkásságában. http://www.matud.iif.hu/2013/08/07.htm</ref> The Ottoman Empire fell into ever deepening decline during the 19th century. There were reform and modernization attempts as early as the 1830s ([[Tanzimat]]), but the country was lowered to an almost semi-colonial state at the turn of the century (the state accumulated an enormous amount of debt and state finances were placed under [[Ottoman Public Debt Administration|direct foreign control]]), and the great powers freely preyed on her, occupying or annexing parts of her territory at will (e.g. [[Cyprus]]). At the time, the [[Russian Empire|Russian]] and [[British Empire|British]] empires were antagonists in the so-called "[[Great Game]]" to cultivate influence in Persia and [[Central Asia]] (Turkestan). Russia and Britain systematically fanned the rivalling nationalisms of the multi-ethnic empire for their own ends,<ref>ERICKSON, Edward J.: Ottomans and Armenians. 2013.</ref><ref>GORECZKY Tamás: Egy görög-török konfliktus története a 19. századból – az 1896-97-es krétai válság az osztrák-magyar diplomáciai iratok tükrében http://real.mtak.hu/19319/1/17-GoretzkyTamas.pdf</ref> and this led to the strengthening of Turkish nationalism as a result. The nationalist movement of the [[Young Turks]] aimed for a secularized nation-state, and constitutional government in a parliamentary democracy.

The political party of the Young Turks, the [[Committee of Union and Progress]], embraced Turanism, and a glorification of [[Turkish people|Turkish]] ethnic identity, and was devoted to protecting the Turkic peoples living under foreign rule (most of them under Russian rule as a result of Russia's enormous territorial expansion during the 16th and 19th centuries), and to restoring the [[Ottoman Empire]]'s shattered national pride.<ref>Caravans to Oblivion: The Armenian Genocide, 1915 (Hardcover) by G. S. Graber</ref>

The Turkish version of Turanism was summed up by American politicians at the time of First World War as follows: "It has been shown above that the Turkish version of Turanism contains two general ideas: (a) To purify and strengthen the Turkish nationality within the Ottoman Empire, and (b) to link up the Ottoman Turks with the other Turks in the world. These objects were first pursued in the cultural sphere by a private group of 'Intellectuals', and promoted by peaceful propaganda. After 1913, they took on a political form and were incorporated in the programme of the C.U.P.",<ref>{{cite book|author=President (1913–1921 : Wilson). The Inquiry. 1917-12/1918 |title=Records of the American Commission to Negotiate Peace, 1914 – 1931 |publisher=Series: Special Reports and Studies, 1917 – 1918 Record Group 256: Records of the American Commission to Negotiate Peace, 1914 – 1931 |page=7 |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/27015264|date=1917–1918|series=Series: Special Reports and Studies, 1917 – 1918}}</ref> but Ottoman defeat in World War I briefly undermined the notion of Turanism.<ref>{{cite book|title=Current History |publisher=[[New York Times Company]] |volume=11 |date=1920 |location=New York City |pages=335 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JapDAQAAMAAJ}}</ref>

After World War I, Turkish nationalists and Turanists joined the [[Basmachi movement]] in Central Asia, to help their struggle against the Soviets. The most prominent amongst them was [[Enver Pasha]], the former Ottoman war minister.

Turanism forms an important aspect of the [[ideology]] of the modern Turkish [[Nationalist Movement Party]] (MHP), whose youth movement is informally known as the [[Grey Wolves (organization)|Grey Wolves]]. Grey Wolf (the mother wolf [[Asena]]) was the main symbol of the ancient [[Turkic peoples]].

In the wake of the Turkish-assisted victory by Azerbaijan in its war with Armenia in 2020, "a certain 'Turan' (greater Turkic world) euphoria took hold on social media," Tanchum, a senior fellow at the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy and a non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said.<ref>{{cite web|title=Turkey's 'Turkic world' ambitions face reality check in Kazakhstan |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Turkey-s-Turkic-world-ambitions-face-reality-check-in-Kazakhstan |access-date=12 January 2022 |website=Nikkei Asia |language=en-GB}}</ref>