| "We must liberate our concepts of justice, our laws and legal institutions
from the bonds which hold a tight grip on us although they are incompatible with
the needs of our century." Between 1926 and 1930, the Turkish Republic achieved a legal transformation
which might have required decades in most other countries. Religious laws were
abolished, and a secular system of jurisprudence introduced. The concepts, the
texts and contexts of the laws were made harmonious with the progressive thrust
of Atatürk's Turkey. " The nation", Atatürk said, " has placed its
faith in the precept that all laws should be inspired by actual needs here on
earth as a basic fact of national life."
Among the far-reaching changes were the new Civil Code, Penal Code, and
Business Law, based on the Swiss, Italian and German models respectively.
The new legal system made all citizens - men and women, rich and poor - equal
before the law. It gave Turkey a firm foundation for a society of justice and
equal rights.
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