This article aims at scrutinizing an example of how education can help a whole nation survive the most fateful times in its history: a world war followed by a struggle for independence. Therefore, the latest times of the Ottoman Empire in general and Ottoman education in particular are outlined to illustrate what the young Turkish republic inherited. Then, the absolute needs of the young republic are discussed, followed by how they were met through the reform movement. The article offers vivid examples, with an emphasis on the young nation's need to reform and refresh the minds via the light of science and reason, as that against the antisecular, dark, and narrow minds of the former regime. A final analysis is devoted to a broad discussion about the importance of the components of this reform movement for the global readership by referring to similar actors and scenarios. (Contains 1 table.)