If not Ataturk, we would be mandate of either USA or Britain, thats the reality, has nothing with political stances, Ataturk still had strong opposition from the intellectual class who were thinking state should be under mandate of a super power there is no other way to protect territorial integrity, he barely gathered/influenced some people supporting him and managed that, majority of the intellectual class was hesitant.
p4kistan
EU was actually in Renaissance when the Ottoman golden age started, they got forward with the decline of religious fanaticism, religion not effects the advancement of a civilization, but generally slow downs it or completely blockades it, advancements in a is civ completely seperated from religion.