The Democrat Party (
Turkish: ''Demokrat Parti'', DP for short) was a
centre-right
Centre-right politics lean to the Right-wing politics, right of the Left–right politics, political spectrum, but are closer to the Centrism, centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure a ...
political party in
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, and the country's third legal opposition party, after the
Liberal Republican Party (Serbest Cumhuriyet Fırkası) established by
Ali Fethi Okyar
Ali Fethi Okyar (29 April 1880 – 7 May 1943) was a Turkish diplomat and politician, who also served as a military officer and diplomat during the last decade of the Ottoman Empire. He was also the second Prime Minister of Turkey (1924–1925) ...
in 1930, and the
National Development Party (Milli Kalkınma Partisi) established by
Nuri Demirağ
Nuri Demirağ (born 1886 in Divriği – died November 13, 1957 in Istanbul) was an early Turkish industrialist and politician, who was one of the first millionaires of the Turkish Republic.
Biography
His first enterprise was a cigarette pap ...
in 1945. Founded and led by
Celâl Bayar
Mahmud Celâleddin "Celâl" Bayar (16 May 1883 – 22 August 1986) was a Turkish economist and politician who was the third President of Turkey from 1950 to 1960; previously he was Prime Minister of Turkey from 1937 to 1939.
Bayar began his c ...
and
Adnan Menderes, it was the first of the opposition parties to rise to power, de-seating the
Republican People's Party
The Republican People's Party ( tr, Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, , acronymized as CHP ) is a Kemalist and social-democratic political party in Turkey which currently stands as the main opposition party. It is also the oldest political party ...
(Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi) during the national elections of 1950 and ending Turkey's
one party era. The party ″facilitated the resurgence of Islam, especially at the popular level, in Turkey″.
History
The events and outcome of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
played a large role in the emergence of the Democrat Party. A condemnation of
fascism
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...
coincided with the defeat of the
Axis Powers
The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...
, and President
İsmet İnönü
Mustafa İsmet İnönü (; 24 September 1884 – 25 December 1973) was a Turkish army officer and statesman of Kurdish descent, who served as the second President of Turkey from 11 November 1938 to 22 May 1950, and its Prime Minister three tim ...
realized that if he did not invite opposition against the CHP, Turkey would fall into social upheaval: one-party governments were no longer acceptable means of rule for modern states.
[Ahmad, Feroz. ''Turkey: The Quest for Identity.'' Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2003.] Though the
Independent Group - an opposition group of independents - was formed upon İnönü's assention as
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
in 1938, the opposition was weak and confined to 5 - 8% of the parliament. On November 1, 1945, İnönü made a speech in which he formally invited the formation of opposition parties in order to align Turkey with the democratic principles that had emerged victorious in the war.
But other factors were already at work in undermining the rule of the Republican People’s Party— namely, the stagnant nature of the economy. Within the CHP and throughout the country, a rift was forming between statists and liberals, and that rift was magnified with the passage of the land reform bill of 1945. Although the bill was passed, 4 CHP parliamentarians, Celal Bayar, Adnan Menderes,
Refik Koraltan
Refik Koraltan (1889 – June 17, 1974) was a Turkish politician, having served as the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) from May 22, 1950 to May 27, 1960.
Biography
Koraltan was born in Divriği, Sivas Province, in ...
, and
Fuat Köprülü Fuat is a masculine Turkish given name and the Turkish spelling of the Arabic name Fuad (Arabic: فؤَاد ''fū’ād, fou’ād'') meaning "heart".
People named Fuat include:
* Fuat Çapa, Belgian-Turkish football manager
* Fuat Güner, Turki ...
signed
a motion criticizing party regulations, and were expelled from the CHP. They formed the Democrat Party that same year.
Due to the Democrat Party’s infancy and its inability to fully organize or establish rapport with the Turkish public immediately after its conception, they lost the
1946 national elections with no surprise. In the four years that spanned before the next election, İnönü and the CHP tried desperately to reaffirm their popularity in the Republic, but voters were unconvinced that the party could implement any real change after 27 years in power.
By 1950, the Democrat Party had come to portray itself as the champions of the Turkish people, resentful of the CHP and ruling elite classes, despite the fact that most of its leaders were members of this same bureaucratic class. The Democrat Party exploited the CHP's association with Westernization, a source of hostility for the public and a sign they were losing touch with their citizenry. Following the example of the DP, the CHP extended its efforts into the villages to compete for votes, inducting the peasantry into politics for the first time.
[Party Competition in Rural Turkey: Agent of Change or Defender of Traditional Rule?](_blank)
Arnold Leder. Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 15, No. 1 (Jan., 1979), pp. 82-105. Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd.
In the
1950 elections, the Democrat Party enjoyed a landslide victory and won the majority of seats in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
, surprising many, especially the Democrats themselves. This was because of the
winner-takes-all system employed in the elections. Their leader,
Adnan Menderes, became
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
and Celal Bayar became president. The peaceful transition to power from the CHP to the DP marked the beginning of a competitive political system in Turkey.
1950–61
The new Democratic-controlled Parliament offered a new, broadened political elite. There was a shift from members with military and bureaucratic backgrounds to those with commercial backgrounds and increased representation from small provinces (opposed to mainly
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
or
Ankara
Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...
).
[The Anatomy of Political and Social Change: Turkish Parties, Parliaments, and Elections](_blank)
Frank Tachau, Mary-Jo D. Good. Comparative Politics, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Jul., 1973), pp. 551-573. Published by: Ph.D. Program in Political Science of the City University of New York. Despite attacks on İnönü and the CHP's efforts to orient Turkey with the West, the Democrats under Menderes continued this trend. In 1952, Turkey joined
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
and strengthened its ties with the West, an effort to protect against potential Soviet expansionism. Menderes and the Democrat Party became increasingly more involved in issues of national security, and it is often thought that they highlighted these efforts to draw attention away from the poor economic health of the nation, a tactic that would not remain successful for long.
[The Compliant Ally? Turkey and the West in the Middle East 1954-58](_blank)
Ayşegül Sever. Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 34, No. 2 (April, 1998), pp. 73-90. Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. The economy grew with absurd levels with
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred over $13 billion (equivalent of about $ in ) in economic re ...
aid and from
privatizing
Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...
state industry that had 27 years of protected growth under the CHP's statist economic policy.
The
1954 elections were again overwhelmingly won by the Democrat Party and Menderes remained Prime Minister. However, by 1955 widespread support for the DP began to deteriorate due to the nation's worsening economic situation, partly due to Marshall Plan aid running out. To distract citizens from the economy, xenophobia was employed against the remaining Greeks of Turkey in the
Istanbul Pogrom. The economic policies pursued under the DP rule had led to high inflation rates, shortages of critical goods, and poor economic development. Additionally, the DP government began showing a deep authoritarian streak. In the years ahead, the DP increasingly suppressed opposition within their own party and with that of rival parties and
stifled the press.
[The Recruitment of Cabinet Ministers as a Political Process: Turkey, 1946-1979](_blank)
Ilter Turan. International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Nov., 1986), pp. 455-472. Cambridge University Press.
In the
1957 elections the DP blocked opposition parties from forming electoral alliances. While the opposition parties won the popular vote, this was not represented in parliament due to the winner-takes-all electoral system used at the time. The DP continued their authoritarian policies until 1960 saw the country's political situation rapidly deteriorate.
27 May 1960 coup d'état
On May 27, 1960, the DP government was
overthrown by military group called the
National Unity Committee
The National Unity Committee ( tr, Milli Birlik Komitesi, MBK) was a military committee formed following the 1960 Turkish coup d'état. It dissolved with the 1961 general election.
Background
Between 1950 and 1960, the ruling party in Turkey wa ...
, led by General
Cemal Gürsel
Cemal Gürsel (; 13 October 1895 – 14 September 1966) was a Turkish army general who became the List of Presidents of Turkey, fourth President of Turkey after a coup.
Early life
He was born in the city of Erzurum as the son of an Ottoman A ...
. The military feared that the founding principles of the Turkish Republic were being eroded, and there was growing public dissatisfaction with Menderes' perceived intolerance of criticism. The military junta stayed in power for the next eighteen months, trying several top DP leaders for unconstitutional rule and high treason. Three of them, including Menderes, were executed. Five others, including Bayar, were sentenced to life imprisonment. The party was officially suppressed on September 29, 1961.
Ideology
The Democrat Party was founded in 1946 to oppose the ruling Republican People's Party, which had established the Turkish Republic and had remained in power from the founding of the Republic through 1950. Its founding members were all well-respected figures in the CHP before breaking off and establishing the Democrat Party. For this reason, both political parties had ideologies rooted in
Kemalism
Kemalism ( tr, Kemalizm, also archaically ''Kamâlizm''), also known as Atatürkism ( tr, Atatürkçülük, Atatürkçü düşünce), or The Six Arrows ( tr, Altı Ok), is the founding official ideology of the Republic of Turkey.Eric J. Zurche ...
which prevented the DP from differing substantially in practice from its predecessor, although it held notable variances in platform.
Additionally, the DP still had to function within the confines of the 1924 constitution established by
Atatürk and the first parliament which restricted the distance they could put between themselves and the CHP. Although it supported the resurgence of Islam, Democrat Party MPs who supported the creation of an Islamic state were expelled from the party.
The main differences in platform between the two lay in economic policy. While the CHP was guided by
statism
In political science, statism is the doctrine that the political authority of the state is legitimate to some degree. This may include economic and social policy, especially in regard to taxation and the means of production.
While in use sinc ...
, the Democrat Party was more interested in privatizing state industries that had helped jump-start the Turkish Republic after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and the
War of Independence
This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence.
List
See also
* Lists of active separatist movements
* List of civil wars
* List o ...
now that the country was no longer nascent. The Democrat Party did not repudiate the Republican People's Party's policy of
Westernization
Westernization (or Westernisation), also Europeanisation or occidentalization (from the ''Occident''), is a process whereby societies come under or adopt Western culture in areas such as industry, technology, science, education, politics, economi ...
, but did not pursue it with quite the same vigour. It was also less militantly secular than the Republican People's Party, and championed
populism
Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...
which gained it wide support among Turkey’s intelligentsia.
The party's logo, a galloping white horse, comes from the strong resemblance of the foreign word ''Demokrat'' to the Turkish words ''Demir Kırat'', "Iron Kırat". The horse Kırat was a character in popular Turkish legend; it was the horse and trusted companion of
Köroğlu, a Robin Hood-type hero who championed causes of the common people against the oppressive regime. ''Demokrat'' and ''Demir Kırat'' were often interchanged by the peasantry. The peripheral populations began to view the Democrat Party as the supernatural hero protecting their rights just as in the folklore.
Successor Parties
Justice Party
Though the military executed Menderes, the military was overall sympathetic with the DP's policies, as was much of the country, particularly the peasants. In the
1961 elections, neo-DP parties captured 48% of the vote, among them being the
New Turkey Party (Yeni Türkiye Partisi) and the
Justice Party (Adalet Partisi) founded by
Ragıp Gümüşpala
Ragıp Gümüşpala (1897 – 6 June 1964) was the 11th Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces and founder of the Justice Party in 1961. He died shortly afterwards, on 6 June 1964, in Istanbul.
Biography Military Life
While he ...
.
Süleyman Demirel
Süleyman Sami Demirel (; 1 November 1924 – 17 June 2015) was a Turkish people, Turkish politician, engineer, and statesman who served as the List of Presidents of Turkey, 9th President of Turkey from 1993 to 2000. He previously served as the ...
would later become leader of the right-wing AP in 1964. With his position as leader of the preeminent DP-successor party, Demirel will be one of Turkey's major political figures, and AP one of Turkey's major political parties. It will be banned after the
1980 coup.
Democratic Party (1970)
In 1970, the Justice Party's conservative wing broke away and launched the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
, which included many former DP leaders. It received 11.9% of the vote in the
1973 elections. By 1980, the party dissolved itself.
True Path Party
With the 1980 coup, all political parties were banned, including the use of their names and logos, while party leaders were imprisoned. The
True Path Party
The True Path Party ( tr, Doğru Yol Partisi, DYP) was a centre-right political party in Turkey, active from 1983 to 2007. For most of its history, the party's central figure was Süleyman Demirel, a former Prime Minister of Turkey who previously ...
(Doğru Yol Partisi) was founded in 1983 as a successor party of the Justice Party. In 1987, a passed referendum allowed pre-1980 politicians to participate in political life again, allowing Demirel to become leader of his political movement again. DYP and its rival
Motherland Party (ANAP) will be Turkey's preeminent center-right political parties.
In 1993, Demirel stepped down as leader of DYP when he was elected Turkey's 9th president, picking
Tansu Çiller
Tansu Çiller (; born 24 May 1946) is a Turkish academic, economist and politician who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Turkey from 1993 to 1996. She is Turkey's first and only female prime minister to date. As the leader of the True Path P ...
to become leader of the party to succeed him as well as his premiership. In the
2002 elections, the party was not able to surpass the 10% threshold and received no seats in the National Assembly. In a 2007 party convention, it renamed itself to the modern
Democrat Party.
Democrat Party (1992)
In November 1992, at what was declared to be the party's 5th Grand Conference, several former members relaunched the Democrat Party under the same name and emblem. It was at first led by
Hayrettin Erkmen
Hayrettin Erkmen (19 April 1915 – 18 May 1999) was the minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental cou ...
, but the most prominent leader was
Aydın Menderes
Aydın Menderes (5 May 1946 – 23 December 2011) was a Turkish politician. He was a deputy, who represented various parties from 1977 to 2002. He was the youngest son of former prime minister Adnan Menderes. , son of Adnan, who was elected the party's third leader in February 1994. He led until a crippling road accident in 1996.
The relaunched Democratic Party never entertained mainstream politics, and did not participate in Turkey's elections of 2002. Other recent leaders have included
Yalçın Koçak
Democrat Party (2007)
In the 2007 DYP congress, DYP and ANAP announced a merger and for the occasion renamed itself to the Democrat Party. While the merger failed in the lead up to the
2007 election, DP and ANAP were eventually able to merge in 2009. In the
2018 elections it participated in the
Nation Alliance Nation Alliance may refer to:
* Nation Alliance (Egypt), Egyptian electoral alliance
* Nation Alliance Party, former Canadian political party
* Nation Alliance (Turkey)
The Nation Alliance ( tr, Millet İttifakı), or simply Nation ( tr, M ...
with the CHP,
İyi Parti and
Saadet Partisi. It currently has one seat in the National Assembly from the election, elected from İyi Parti's lists.
Election Results
See also
*
Liberalism in Turkey
This article gives an overview of liberalism in Turkey. Liberalism was introduced in the Ottoman Empire during the Tanzimat period of reformation.
History
On 30 May 1876, Murad V became the Sultan when his uncle Abdülaziz was deposed. He was ...
*
Conservatism in Turkey
Conservatism in Turkey ( Turkish: ''Muhafazakârlık'') is a national variant of conservatism throughout Turkey reflected in the agendas of many of the country's political parties, most notably the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP), w ...
*
Justice and Development Party
*
Süleyman Demirel
Süleyman Sami Demirel (; 1 November 1924 – 17 June 2015) was a Turkish people, Turkish politician, engineer, and statesman who served as the List of Presidents of Turkey, 9th President of Turkey from 1993 to 2000. He previously served as the ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Democrat Party
Political parties established in 1946
Defunct political parties in Turkey
1946 establishments in Turkey
1961 disestablishments in Turkey
Political parties disestablished in 1961
Istanbul pogrom