A Study On Child Welfare In Turky During 1860-1945

The development of child welfare in Turkey is relatively late and concentrated.From the ninteenth century to the twentieth century,the evolution of child welfare from exploration to perfection is completed in only two hundred years.Such the rapid and remarkable achievement,on the one hand,because of the reference and absorption of western early welfare states and western children concepts.More importantly,it's related to the transformation of Turish political?economic and foreign relationship.The child welfare in Turkey appears in the late Ottoman Empire,and the stage of development and improvement is most concentrated in the Republic of Turkey,especially in the early days of the Republic of Turkey.At the same time,Turkey is experiencing an alternation between the new and the old period.With the influence of seculaization and modernzation reforms,the child welfare is endowed with unique evolutionary characterstics and development process.This paper takes the timeline as the main line which tries to systematically analye the characteristics and the evolution trend of the exploration and development period of child welfare in Turkey by combining measures and decreess involving child welfare in two different historical stages in Turkey.From the perspective of children history research,through the process of transforming children concept and the evoluton of child welfare and its impact,this paper attempts to reflect the process of secularization and modenization in modern Turkey.There are four parts in the Turkish child welfare:In general,the first part is the exploration period of Turkish child welfare which are from the era of Tanzimat to the end of the Ottoman Empire(1860-1922).In the context of the internal and external difficulties in the late Ottoman Empire,the ideological ideas that learning from the western world and seeking for the rich and power are gradually accepted by the ruling class.Then they take many measures to secularization and modernization reforms.Among them,there are a series of reforms to improve the children situation.However,the measures involving children in this period are very limited and effect is minimal.The child welfare objects are mainly aimed at the destitude and orphans,and the direct purpose is to solve the social problems caused by child poverty.Despite this,the tranditional children concept is changed,and the poverty alleviation measures for children have become one of the important tasks in the modernization and secularization reform during the late Ottoman Empire,which laid the ideological and material foundation for the development of child welfare in the Republic of Turkey.The second part is the period of concentrated development and improvement of the Turkish child welfare system in the Republic of Turkey.In the early days of the Republic(1922-1945),under the Kemal's secularization reform,Turkish child welfare not only improve the material conditions,such as the poverty alleviation system,the public medical insititutions,and other relevant external material conditions;at the same time,it also begins pay important attentions to and make use of children spiritual world so as to make Turkish child welfare become a more complete social welfare system.While participating in international children affairs,Turkey international status and influnce have also been improved.The third part systematically analyzes the evolution of the Turkish child welfare system,emphasizing the dynamic development process in the Turkish child welfare: from keeping the independent state to combine with private charity;from emphasing on material security to pay attention to both material and spirit world;from national affairs to international cooperation.It can be seen that although Turkey still has many shortcomings in child welfare,it has never stopped making progress.The fourth part is that the impact of the establishment of child welfare system on Turkey modern secularization and modernization process,including economy,education,public health and international influence.On the whole,the establishment and development of the Turkish child welfare system is the part of the secularization and modernization reforms in Turkey.That is the result of combining the state,society and the international environment efforts.