Conservatism in Turkey ( Turkish: ''Muhafazakârlık'') is a national variant of

conservatism 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 civilizati ...

throughout

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

reflected in the agendas of many of the country's political parties, most notably the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP), which describes its prevailing ideology as

conservative democracy Conservative democracy () is a label coined by the ruling Justice and Development Party (Turkey), Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Turkey to describe Islamic democracy. Forming as a modernist breakaway party from former Islamism, Islamist mo ...

. Elements of Turkish conservatism are also reflected in most parties situated on the

political right Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, auth ...

, including the

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 ...

(MHP). In

, it is often referred to as ''Türk tipi muhafazakârlık'' (Turkish-style conservatism). Prince kemaleddin

Turkish conservatism is distinct from conservatism in other countries in that it is predominantly at odds with the established state structure, tending to be critical of the founding principles of the Turkish Republic whereas most forms of conservatism elsewhere tend to endorse the principle values of the state. Ideals predominantly at odds with conservatives, such as

secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on secular, naturalistic considerations. Secularism is most commonly defined as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state, and may be broadened to a sim ...

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 s ...

, populism and the existence of a

social state A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equitabl ...

are enshrined within the Constitution of Turkey. Turkish conservatism is rivalled mainly by Kemalism, based on the ideology of Turkey's founding President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who brought about several social reforms influenced by a progressive pro-western agenda following the collapse of the conservative

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. However, Kemalism has also been described as a form of

conservative nationalism National conservatism is a nationalist variant of conservatism that concentrates on upholding national and cultural identity. National conservatives usually combine nationalism with conservative stances promoting traditional cultural values, ...

as it endorses and safeguards the established traditions of the Turkish state.

Conservatism in Turkey tends to be inspired and strongly influenced by

political Islam Political Islam is any interpretation of Islam as a source of political identity and action. It can refer to a wide range of individuals and/or groups who advocate the formation of state and society according to their understanding of Islamic pri ...

, with conservative values arising from local orders, Islamic '' tarikats'' and village traditions. Turkish conservatism therefore tends to be more

socially conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institution ...

religious Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatur ...

and in favour of strong centralised leadership, therefore often being characterised as authoritarian by critics. Turkish conservatives also tend to show greater approval to the return of Ottoman culture as opposed to the western-inspired culture and values originating from the Republic era. Recent surveys continuously show that conservatism in Turkey enjoys strong political support, predominantly in the central

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

region and rural areas where village and local traditions remain strictly enforced. In 2012, only 8.6% of Turks described themselves as 'entirely non-conservative' as opposed to 12.6% in 2006. Research by

Kadir Has University Kadir Has University, also known as KHAS, is a foundation university in Fatih, Istanbul, established in 1997 by Kadir Has, the late Turkish industrialist and philanthropist. Kadir Has University has six faculties: Faculty of Art and Design; Fac ...

showed that 39.2% of Turks described themselves as conservative in 2013, falling to 20.7% describing themselves as conservatives in 2015.

List of conservative political parties in Turkey

Current

* Justice and Development Party *

Great Unity Party The Great Unity Party ( tr, Büyük Birlik Partisi, BBP) or Great Union Party is a far-right Sunni Islamist and ultranationalist political party in Turkey, created on 29 January 1993.Felicity Party The Felicity Party ( tr, Saadet Partisi, SP) is an Islamist Turkish political party. It was founded in 2001, and mainly supported by conservative Muslims in Turkey. It was founded on 20 July 2001 after the Virtue Party (FP) was banned by the ...

Good Party The Good Party ( Turkish: ''İyi Parti'') is a nationalist, national conservative, Kemalist, and liberal democrat political party in Turkey, established on 25 October 2017 by its current leader Meral Akşener. Their fraternal party is the liber ...

* Democrat Party * Future Party *

Democracy and Progress Party The Democracy and Progress Party ( tr, Demokrasi ve Atılım Partisi, DEVA, lit. Democracy and Enterprise Party) is a Turkish political party founded on 9 March 2020 under the leadership of Ali Babacan, a former economy minister under the AK ...

* Motherland Party *

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 ...

* Nation Party * Homeland Party * Free Cause Party

References

{{Conservatism footer Political history of Turkey