Originally published in 1966, this book discusses the movement towards westernization in Turkey, (from the mid-15th century to the late 20th) concentrating on education – one of the most important areas of the modernization process. The study centres first on the transformation of the Islamic, essentially private, system of education to a state, secular system, and secondly on the role played by education in the socio-political development of Turkey, paying particular attention to the impact of Western institutions and practices on Ottoman-Turkish society. It also examines the growth of educational enterprise, educational opportunities and the relationships between education and other aspects of Turkish society such as social recruitment and the selection of élites, nationalism and secularization.