The Progressive Republican Party ( ota, ترقی‌ پرور جمهوریت فرقه‌ سی, Terakkiperver Cumhuriyet Fırkası) was a political party in Turkey between 1924 and 1925.Myron E. Weiner, Ergun Özbudun (1987) ''Competitive Elections in Developing Countries'', Duke University Press, p337 It was established by Ali Fuat (Cebesoy) Pasha, Kâzım Karabekir, Refet (Bele) Pasha, Rauf (Orbay) Bey and Adnan (Adıvar) Bey on 17 November 1924. The party was banned on 5 June 1925 after the Sheikh Said rebellion.

Background

Nearly one year before Greece and Turkey signed the

Treaty of Lausanne The Treaty of Lausanne (french: Traité de Lausanne) was a peace treaty negotiated during the Lausanne Conference of 1922–23 and signed in the Palais de Rumine, Lausanne, Switzerland, on 24 July 1923. The treaty officially settled the conflic ...

in the summer of 1924, the Ottoman sultanate was abolished and the Turkish state was formally declared a

republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

, marking the end of six centuries of imperial rule. After the

peace treaty A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to stop hostilities; a surr ...

was signed, Istanbul was relinquished to the ruling Turkish nationalists as the occupying armies withdrew at the close of the Turkish War of Independence. However, the domestic political conflict was not yet resolved and some established members of the

Turkish National Movement The Turkish National Movement ( tr, Türk Ulusal Hareketi) encompasses the political and military activities of the Turkish revolutionaries that resulted in the creation and shaping of the modern Republic of Turkey, as a consequence of the defe ...

including Ali Fuat Cebesoy, Kâzım Karabekir, Adnan Adıvar and Rauf Orbay were increasingly anxious that they would be targeted by

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, or Mustafa Kemal Pasha until 1921, and Ghazi Mustafa Kemal from 1921 Surname Law (Turkey), until 1934 ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish Mareşal (Turkey), field marshal, Turkish National Movement, re ...

, who had already forbidden the re-establishment of the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) and abolished the Caliphate. In November 1924, a few months after the abolition of the Caliphate, members of the former CUP and National Movement joined to form the Progressive Republican Party in opposition to what they considered the

authoritarian Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic votin ...

rule of Mustafa Kemal and the ruling

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).

Party leaders

The parties leaders consisted of the retired General Kâzım Karabekir who became its president, Adıvar and Orbay as his deputy presidents and several former members of the

Committee for Union and Progress The Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) ( ota, اتحاد و ترقى جمعيتی, translit=İttihad ve Terakki Cemiyeti, script=Arab), later the Union and Progress Party ( ota, اتحاد و ترقى فرقه‌سی, translit=İttihad ve Tera ...

(CUP) such as

Rüştü Pasha Rüştü Pasha or Rushdi Pasha ( tr, Rüştü Paşa, 1872 – July 13, 1926) was an officer of the Ottoman Army and a general of the Turkish Army. He became a leader of the Progressive Republican Party, being a member of its Central Adminis ...

Bekir Sami Kunduh Bekir Sami Bey (known as Bekir Sami Kunduh in modern Turkish sources) ( os, Къуындыхаты Муссæйы фырт Бечыр; 1867 – 16 January 1933) was a Turkish politician of Ossetian origin. He served as the first Minister of Forei ...

, and as members of the Central Administrative Committee.

Policies

On domestic policy, the party supported a liberal democracy, but was blamed by the government for being the vehicle of Islamists in attempting subvert the newly established government. After Mustafa Kemal Pasha blamed Karabekir for the Sheikh Said Rebellion and the assassination attempt made on himself in İzmir, the party was closed on 5 June by the government. As a consequence, Karabekir and many members of the party were court-martialed by the

Independence Tribunal An Independence Tribunal ( tr, İstiklâl Mahkemesi, plural ''İstiklâl Mahkemeleri'') was a court invested with superior authority and the first were established in 1920 during the Turkish War of Independence in order to prosecute those who we ...

and imprisoned, although they were later released. However, he was kept under house arrest along with 82 members of the opposition for two decades. During the presidency of İsmet İnönü, he was rehabilitated and chosen as a member of Parliament and was elected as the Speaker of the National Assembly after the end of World War II.

References

Political parties established in 1924 Defunct political parties in Turkey 1924 establishments in Turkey 1925 disestablishments in Turkey Political parties disestablished in 1925 2nd parliament of Turkey {{Turkey-party-stub

Background

Party leaders

Policies

See also

References