mustafa kemal atatürk was the first president of turkey. he made many changes that made turkey more modern. but some people did not like some of the changes that made life in turkey more secular. religious secondary schools were gotten rid of, for example. the opponents to atatürk felt that he weakened islam in the country. later political disputes led to coup d'état in 1960, 1971, and 1980, and several failed attempts.