Best Answer: Turkey is a republic formed from the remnants of the Ottoman empire. The Ottoman Empire was a Turkish dominated empire run from Constantinople (Istanbul) that included Arabs, Turks, Jews, Greeks, Kurds, Armenians, and many other groups. When the empire was split up, Turkey was formed from the remaining turkish-speaking areas of the former empire, while the rest of the empire was split up by the Western powers into modern-day Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, etc.Under the Leadership of Ataturk, Turkey was formed as a republic- but a turkish republic. Conflicts ensued with Armenian and Greek minorities who suffered greatly. While the predecessor Ottoman Empire had been a multi-ethnic state, the new Turkey was based on Turkish nationalism and did not include non-Turkish areas of the former empire- except, of course, for Kurdistan, or the traditional homeland of the Kurds. They were the only large non-turkish group who were "assimilated" into the new republic.While most of the nations that had previously lived under Ottoman rule eventually achieved nationhood, The Kurds, who live in Southeastern Turkey, Northern Syria, Northern Iraq, and Iran, were not able to form their own state. Since they live in a large region in Southern and Eastern Turkey, the Turkish state has never been keen on granting them independence. And since Turkey is a centralized republican (and sometimes military) democracy, the authorities have never looked kindly upon Kurdish autonomy. Many believe that could undermine the unity of Turkey.In order to further "assimilate" this area of non-turks, Turkey has often resorted to extreme- and absurd- measures. Laws banning the use of the Kurdish language were common. Kurdish radio and TV still struggles in Turkey. Official Turkish documents do not even recognize Kurds as a distinct people- referring to them as "Mountain Turks"On the other hand, many Turks condemn the various Kurdish paramilitary and guerrilla groups (sometimes called "Peshmerga") who have occasionally resorted to terrorism and violence against Turkish people. The armed conflict between the Turkish military and Kurdish separatists has cost many lives and has fomented the hatred between the groups.So the bitterness between the groups in modern times stems from the period of the founding of Turkey, but has been nourished by years of paramilitary struggle, racial misunderstanding, terrorism, and political oppression. The Kurds were denied a state and Turkey was left with a large group of non-Turks that threatened the ideology of a strong and united Turkish republic.
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