The conceptually oriented work examines the term 'millet' and its transformation between 1920 and 1923 based on the parliamentary minutes from the sessions of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey during that period. 'Millet' changes its semantics with the rise of Turkish nationalism and ultimately designates the modern nation as a political term. The constant invocation of this term by all political groups as the core and foundation of the new state obscures ideological differences; the preserved traditional elements of the term and the awareness of its reinterpretation continue to shape the discussion around national identity to this day, particularly through the attempt to avoid addressing it.