APresident · 1938 – 1950Independent states
İsmet İnönü
Türkiye's second president (1884–1973), who kept the country out of the Second World War and oversaw the move to multi-party politics.
İsmet İnönü commanded at the Battles of İnönü in the War of Independence and was Türkiye's chief delegate at the 1923 Lausanne peace talks; long prime minister, he was elected president after Atatürk's death.
He kept Türkiye out of the Second World War. Multi-party politics began in 1946, and when his party lost the 1950 election he handed over power peacefully.
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Updated: October 4, 2026