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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 was Democrat Party (DP). Towards 1960, Turkey faced political corruption and economic crises, in which the Turkish currency was devalued from 2.80 to 9.00 for US$1.00. Rise in commodity prices and scarcity of imported industrial goods caused unrest, and consequently political support for the DP decreased while it increased for the opposition, especially for the Republican People's Party (CHP). The DP government tried to suppress a revival of the CHP banning public activities of the CHP. In 1959,
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 ...
, the leader of the CHP, was assaulted at rallies by DP sympathizers in
Uşak Uşak (; el, Ουσάκειον, Ousakeion) is a city in the interior part of the Aegean Region of Turkey. The city has a population of 500,000 (2016 census) and is the capital of Uşak Province. Uşak city is situated at a distance of from İz ...
on May 1 and in
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on May 4. The press was set under heavy censorship. Many journalists, including popular columnist
Metin Toker Metin Toker (1924 – 18 July 2002) was a Turkish journalist and writer. Life He was born in Istanbul. After finishing Galatasaray High School, he studied French philology at Istanbul University graduating in 1948. He then went to France to stud ...
, as well as profiled opposition politicians, such as Osman Bölükbaşı, the leader of the
Republican Villagers 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 ...
(CKMP), were arrested. On April 27, 1960, the parliamentary group of the DP, which held the majority in the parliament, passed a law to form a
Committee of Inquest Committee of Inquest ( tr, Tahkikat komisyonu) was a political committee in Turkey which is usually considered one of the major causes that led to the 1960 Turkish coup d'état. Background Democrat Party (DP) defeated the Republican People's Part ...
, which was authorized with the powers of a court. The committee, composed of DP deputies only, was tasked with inquires about the members of the opposition parties and the press.


The committee

On May 27, 1960, a group of military officers staged a coup d'état. The revolting officers did not act in the traditional military hierarchy. The chief of general staff, commanders of the
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and naval forces were not among the group, and the commander of the
land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various isla ...
forces General Cemal Gürsel joined the group only after the operation began. The number of generals in the group with 38 members was only five while the remaining officers were of lower ranks as colonel, major or even captain. Below is the list of the committee members: The chairman of the committee was Cemal Gürsel. He became also the prime minister in the 24th and 25th government of Turkey during the military regime. Among other generals, Irfan Baştuğ died in a traffic accident on September 12, 1960 and Cemal Madanoğlu resigned from the committee on July 7, 1961, both during the military regime.


The Fourteen

While Cemal Gürsel was trying to re-establish the civilian regime as soon as possible, fourteen members of the committee under the leadership of Colonel Alparslan Türkeş were planning to continue the military regime with the intention of making reforms. On September 13, 1960, they were expelled from the committee.İnönü foundation page
/ref> (Their names are marked by yellow color in the above list.) They were sent as diplomats to Turkish embassies abroad. Although they were later given pardon, they could never return to the committee. In later years, Alparslan Türkeş became the leader of the
Republican Villagers 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 ...
and renamed it to
Nationalist Movement Party The Nationalist Movement Party (alternatively translated as Nationalist Action Party; tr, Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi, MHP) is a Turkish far-right and ultranationalist political party. The group is often described as neo-fascist, and has bee ...
.


Aftermath

Following the 1961 general election on October 15, Turkey returned to civilian regime. Cemal Gürsel was elected
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. The other 21 members of the MBK became the permanent members of the Turkish senate. In 1968 five of them were expelled from the senate. The rest lost their memberships by another coup in 1980.


See also

* 1962 attempted coup in Turkey


References

{{Authority control 1960 in Turkish politics Turkish Land Forces Military coups in Turkey Military dictatorships 1960 establishments in Turkey 1961 disestablishments in Turkey