It might be useful to separate the reforms under Atatürk as social and economic reforms. Social reforms include the abolishment of the sultanate in 1922 and of the Caliphate in 1924, the proclamation of the Republic in 1923, the introduction of a law coalescing all education under secular state authority in 1924, the adoption of the Latin-based Turkish alphabet in 1928, removal of Islam as the official religion in 1928, the gradual granting of suffrage to women in 1930, 1933 and full suffrage in 1934, the introduction of surnames in 1934, the introduction of laicism into the constitution in 1937… The list could go on. The key is that such reforms radically transformed the social, cultural and political life of Turkey. They did cost money, after all. But why they were not super-projects costing billions by their nature. They were of crucial importance but also, in a sense, were “budget-friendly” reforms.

A brief comparison with the Young Turks era preceding the Atatürk era may also prove useful. The Young Turks had comparable aspirations to Atatürk, albeit in a much less radical tone. Their efforts, however, were hindered by wars. Atatürk, who seems to have drawn many lessons from that period, chose to avoid war whenever possible. He firmly believed that centuries of Ottoman warfare did not make life any better for the regular Turk. If his sweeping reforms were to be implemented, a sustained period of peace was necessary. Indeed, this is what happened. In avoiding war and maintaining close relations with key actors in the region (barring the irredentism of Mussolini’s Italy in the 1930s), he successfully diverted the country’s economic resources as well as its limited manpower to other areas. Hence his dictum: “Peace at home, peace in the World.”
Now, the previous paragraph might give a sense of how political astuteness of Atatürk worked to the benefit of his country. This was the case in economic reforms even to a greater extent. Especially in the 1930s, when opposing political blocs were equally interested in drawing Turkey closer to themselves, Atatürk often demanded investment or advantageous loans from them. As a result of such policies, Turkey agreed an 8 Million $ low-interest loan deal with the USSR in 1932, and convinced the British to build a high-tech steel factory in the province of Karabük in the late 1930s. Furthermore, improved means of communication and transportation (including a much-prided brand-new web of railroads built during the Atatürk era), taxation could be more stable. Perhaps one could cite these under the heading of economic reforms, which would also include certain alterations in the taxation system. Some economic reforms strengthened the economy, despite the negative impact of the Great Depression of 1929. Other economic reforms involving a considerable amount of investment were helped by the political astuteness of the Turkish leadership at the time.