Ü. Gülsüm Polat, Changes in state-society relations from the First World War to the National Independence Struggle (1914-1923), Turkish Historical Review, (3), 2012: 19:41. (original) (raw)

The State, Political Party and Society in post-1983 Turkey

Government and Opposition, 1990

IN TERMS OF THE HISTORICAL CATEGORIES FORMULATED BY S. N. Eisentadt, the origins of the Ottoman-Turkish polity were imperial-bureaucratic rather than imperial-feudal or patrimonial. The regime was not patrimonial because the centre had its own distinctive normative system; the values of the centre were just a pale reflection of those of the periphery. The regime was not imperial-feudal for the centre did not have to face civil societal groups able to challenge it and impinge upon it. The members of the periphery could not develop horizontal loyalties; instead they competed among themselves for a limited number of privileges such as tax-farming rights or quotas for import or export which the centre granted. The Ottoman-Turkish peripheral elements did not develo into an aristocracy or a bourgeoisie with political influence. Consequently, the efforts towards modernization initiated during the nineteenth century took on a particular twist. Modernization meant Westernization, which in tu...

Post-war Societies (Turkey)

1914

Incessant wars from 1912 to 1922 accelerated socio-political change and facilitated transition from empire to republic. The nation state was founded on civic citizenship and education in the official language. The revolutionary change in the legal system, discarding religious law altogether dismantled former subjugations. The Civil Law of 1926 and secularization mostly benefited gender relations and social change. Although remaining non-Muslims were accommodated by a renewed social contract, the leadership whose political socialization was formed during the waning years of empire, continued with abated discrimination towards them. On the diplomatic front, however, Ankara distinguished itself by reconciliation with former adversaries, and solved outstanding security issues peacefully.

Anlatılamamış Fedakarlık Hikayeleri: Türkiye Cumhuriyeti'nin İlk Yılları (1920-1926)

Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları/Journal of Language and Literature Studies, 2020

There are two versions of history in Turkey today: the official and the unofficial. Available material in English on Turkish history and politics reflect mostly Orientalist and official points of views. The official version appears not only to contradict much of the existing evidence but also to reinforce misinterpretations of the Republican era. Here is an attempt, albeit a modest one, to present the unofficial version of history through the profiles of people who took part in the War of Independence between 1919 and 1923. Even though they played a dynamic role during the turbulent period of Turkish history-giving voice to the beliefs and sentiments of the static majority-they were condemned to death. Their strength of character and conviction imbued with their influence over the masses was an explosive cocktail which struck terror in the hearts of the new ruling elite. The rise of secular Turkey from the funeral pyre of the Ottomans and the resulting transformation of Turkish society occurred against a background of chaos and despair. The value system and a way of life embodying a certain set of beliefs and ethics which the people had chosen for themselves were discarded by the new guardians of the State. And anyone who disagreed with the prescription for this new life was a disposable item.

The process of Turkish modernization and the Great War

This paper looks forward to answer the question whether World War I can be considered the last stage of Turkish modernization, what kind of role the army played in this process (having in mind the military ethos and the importance of military force in the Ottoman society), and how influent Atatürk was when achieving this project.

TURKISH POLITICAL LIFE AND THE NATIONALIST FRONT GOVERNMENT IN 1970s

In this article, the importance of Turkey's democratization process on Turkish politics and nationalist front government are discussed. I would argue the importance of the national front government in the democratization process in Turkey. But I show the problems of the nationalist front government in the process of democratization. Also, Political behavior of Ecevit and Demirel and Ecevit's efforts to personalize cyprus. Learn the activities of the nationalist front governments. The general characteristics and activities of the previous governments before the establishment of the nationalist front government. Turkey's biggest problem; right-left battle. Events and protests in the nationalist front government. First and second nationalist front governments and opposition party clashes about many topics. The discourse of polarization in the nationalist front government. The events of corruption in the nationalist front governments. The causes and consequences of growing unrest in Turkey. The events that result in 20 deaths per day and the reason for the increase of this number every day. The danger of fascism in Turkey and will be handled path to the 1980 military coup.

Syllabus - From Ottoman Empire to Turkish Republic, 1839-1980

This course aims to investigate the political, socio-economic, and demographic processes that culminated in the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire and the consolidation of Turkey as a new nation state. As a background for this inquiry, we will first outline the major patterns of the nineteenth century Ottoman modernization and reform movements. The second part of the course will focus on the traumatic and revolutionary developments of the period 1908-1945. In particular, we will examine the radicalization of the Young Turks movement along the ideological lines of Turkish nationalism, as well as the political and demographic consequences of this radicalization for the passage from the Ottoman Empire to the Turkish Republic. The course will conclude by looking at the major political and socio-economic developments that the republican regime underwent over the course of the period 1945-1980. We will pay close attention to the rise and fall of “national developmentalism” as a framework to understand the crisis of Turkish democracy in this period.