The Nation Party ( tr, Millet Partisi) was a conservative and nationalistic

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

developed as a third option within the then bipartisan system 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 ...

. It lasted from 1948 until 1953, when it was outlawed. The Nation Party was founded on July 19, 1948 by former

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 chief of staff

Fevzi Çakmak Mustafa Fevzi Çakmak (12 January 1876 – 10 April 1950) was a Turkish field marshal ('' Mareşal'') and politician. He served as the Chief of General Staff from 1918 and 1919 and later the Minister of War of the Ottoman Empire in 1920. He lat ...

Osman Bölükbaşı Osman Bölükbaşı (1913 – February 6, 2002) was a Turkish politician and political party leader. Early life He was born at Hasanlar village of the former Mucur district in 1913. He completed his secondary education at the Istanbul High Scho ...

, Enis Akaygen,

Yusuf Hikmet Bayur Hikmet Bayur (also known as Yusuf Hikmet Bayur, 1891–1980) was a Turkish politician. He was born in Istanbul (then known as Constantinople by the Western World). He was the grandson of Kâmil Pasha, one of the Grand Viziers of the Ottoman Empire ...

, Mustafa Kentli, Osman Nuri Köni, Kenan Öner and Sadık Aldoğan. The founders were from a

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

clique A clique ( AusE, CanE, or ), in the social sciences, is a group of individuals who interact with one another and share similar interests. Interacting with cliques is part of normative social development regardless of gender, ethnicity, or popular ...

within the Democrat Party (Demokrat Parti). One of the reasons for their establishment of the party was the claim that the Democrat Party was ineffective as

opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * ''The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Comed ...

to 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 ...

(CHP), the Turkish population was trapped between two political alternatives and a third alternative with a

nationalistic Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

ideology was necessary. Fevzi Çakmak was appointed as the honorary leader of the party and dubbed as the "Believer General". The Nation Party did not participate in the 1946 elections. Before the

1950 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1950. Africa * 1950 South-West African legislative election Asia * 1950 Iranian legislative election Australia * 1950 New South Wales state election * 1950 Queensland state election * 1950 South ...

, on 8 April, Fevzi Çakmak made an announcement claiming that Republican People's Party's

oppression Oppression is malicious or unjust treatment or exercise of power, often under the guise of governmental authority or cultural opprobrium. Oppression may be overt or covert, depending on how it is practiced. Oppression refers to discrimination w ...

was getting fiercer. Two days later, on April 10, he died from complications following a prostatectomy. At the elections on May 14, 1950, at which the Democrat Party had won 55% of the votes, it received 3.11% of the votes (250.414 votes) to win one seat, and one of the founders, Osman Bölükbaşı became an MP. In 1954, before the elections on May 2, the Nation Party was shut down and declared outlawed on grounds of "anti-

Laïcité (; 'secularism') is the constitutional principle of secularism in France. Article 1 of the French Constitution is commonly interpreted as discouraging religious involvement in government affairs, especially religious influence in the determin ...

" politics.

Ideology

The party, strongly opposed the CHP's understanding of religion and laicism, while also asserting that the DP was a controlled opposition party and that they are the real opposition. The party's program included such views as the establishment of a democratic administration, the removal of the

Six Arrows The Six Arrows (Turkish: ''Altı Ok'') is the symbol and flag of the Turkish Republican People's Party (CHP). The arrows represent the fundamental pillars of Kemalism, Turkey's founding ideology. These are Republicanism, Populism, Nationalis ...

from the constitution, the expansion of people's freedoms, the preparation of a general development program, and the monitoring of a liberal economic policy. The party also advocated the transition to a

bicameral system Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single grou ...

.Millet Partisi kuruldu". ''Cumhuriyet Ansiklopedisi 1923-2000''. 2. Vol. İstanbul: YKY. May 2002. page. 132-133.

Successor Parties

Republican Nation Party

The founders of the party, led by

, subsequently formed the

Republican Nation Party Republican National Party ( tr, Cumhuriyetçi Millet Partisi, CMP) was a former right-wing Turkish political party. The party was founded by the members of Nation Party which closed by the court on 27 January 1954. Osman Bölükbaşı with t ...

(Cumhuriyetçi Millet Partisi) and won 5 seats in the parliament. All five MPs were from

Kırşehir Kırşehir, formerly Mocissus ( grc, Μωκισσός) and Justinianopolis (Ἰουστινιανούπολις), is a city in Turkey. It is the capital district of the Kırşehir Province. According to the 2000 census, the population of the distri ...

, the hometown of Bölükbaşı.

Republican Peasants Nation Party

On October 17, 1958, the Peasants' Party of Turkey merged with the Republican Nation Party to form the

Republican Peasants' Nation Party The Republican Villagers Nation Party ( tr, Cumhuriyetçi Köylü Millet Partisi, CKMP), alternatively translated Republican Peasants' Nation Party, was a former political party in Turkey. Fusions The party was founded after the fusion of two s ...

(Cumhuriyetçi Köylü Millet Partisi - CKMP). On June 12, 1960, following the May 27 coup d’état, the junta, dubbed 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 ...

", dissolved the parliament and on June 13, closed the district organizations of all political parties. In 1961, when the civil parliamentary system was once again in effect, on October 15, general elections were held, at which the Republican Peasants’ Nation Party received 14% of the votes to emerge as the third party and win 54 seats in the parliament and 16 senators. When the Justice Party emerged victorious at the 1963 elections, Osman Bölükbaşı, together with 28 MPs, resigned from CKMP to establish once more the Nation Party and be elected its president. Colonel Alparslan Türkeş joined the party in 1965 and turned the party into a more Pan-Turkic and Islamist party. In a 1969 party convention, the CKMP renamed itself to MHP.

Nation Party (1962)

In 1962 the name was reused when Osman Bölükbaşı and a group of deputies and senators left the CKMP after a conflict and founded a new party. After some initial electoral success the party did not win any seats in the 1973 general elections, eventually dissolving itself in 1977.

Nation Party (1992)

In 1992, the name was reused again when the Reformist Democracy Party (''Islahatçı Demokrasi Partisi''), led by Aykut Edibali, renamed itself as ''Millet Partisi''.

References

''This article incorporates material from articles from the

Turkish Wikipedia The Turkish Wikipedia ( tr, Türkçe Vikipedi) is the Turkish language edition of Wikipedia, spelled ''Vikipedi''. Started on 5 December 2002, as of , this edition has articles and is the largest Wikipedia edition, and ranks 16th in terms of ...

.'' {{Authority control Turkish nationalist organizations Political parties established in 1948 Banned political parties in Turkey Banned far-right parties Defunct nationalist parties in Turkey Defunct conservative parties in Turkey 1948 establishments in Turkey Political parties disestablished in 1954 1954 disestablishments in Turkey 8th parliament of Turkey