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European Journal of Applied Sciences – Vol. 12, No. 2

Publication Date: April 25, 2024

DOI:10.14738/aivp.122.16535

Gabbay, S. M. (2024). The Pendulum of Power: Tracing Turkey's Democratic Evolution and Authoritarian Drift. European Journal

of Applied Sciences, Vol - 12(2). 271-278.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

The Pendulum of Power: Tracing Turkey's Democratic Evolution

and Authoritarian Drift

Shaul M. Gabbay

Global Research Institute, Posner Center for

International Development, Denver, CO USA

ABSTRACT

This paper analyzes Turkey’s historical journey through the evolution of

democracy and human rights from the creation of the current Republic, through the

current notable drift into authoritarianism under the ruling Justice and

Development Party (AKP). By examining Turkey’s democratic development from its

original one-party rule at its inception in 1923, to its expansion in a multi-party

system in 1946, through a series of military coups, and finally the influence of the

European Union accession negotiations, the unreliable outcome of its unsteady

embrace of democracy becomes visible. What we are left to grapple with is the

veracity of Turkey’s commitment to democracy. As the world stands witness to an

ongoing and significant reversal of democratic reforms including increased

censorship, suppression of dissent, and erosion of institutional checks and

balances, the question arises of how to support Turkey in its return to a country

supportive of human rights and freedoms. This paper concludes by addressing the

critical factors needed to restore a decisive implementation of democratic

resilience.

Keywords: Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, human rights, democracy, authoritarianism,

Justice and Development Party, AKP, EU.

INTRODUCTION

Just after the turn of this millennium, Turkey took a bold turn toward democracy. In 2002,

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won the presidency by a landslide, promising it’s then population of 66

million people an embrace of democracy, much to the delight of its European neighbors. His

predecessors had long been made up of pro-Islamic parties. Erdoğan, and his Justice and

Development Party, the AKP, offered something quite different to the Turkish people and the

world: a pro-European, market friendly flavor of conservative democracy. They touted a

civilization agenda, indicating the military was no longer in charge, which seemed designed in

large measure to accommodate its membership candidacy in the EU. Business groups inside

Turkey hailed the new direction, as did liberal intellectuals. Western governments, long leery

of the ambitions of Islamic movements with caliphate ambitions, celebrated the Eurasian

powerhouse’s embrace of a western-style government in a country that is 99% Muslim.

However, this promising trajectory has, in recent years, taken a concerning turn. The aftermath

of the 2013 Gezi Park protests, the 2016 failed coup attempt, and the subsequent governmental

measures have marked a pronounced shift towards authoritarianism. This paper seeks to trace

the pendulum swing of Turkey's political landscape, from its democratic aspirations to its

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European Journal of Applied Sciences (EJAS) Vol. 12, Issue 2, April-2024

current authoritarian drift. It examines the mechanisms through which power has been

consolidated, the suppression of dissent, and the broader implications of this shift for Turkish

society and its democratic institutions. Through a focused analysis, this study aims to provide

insights into the complex dynamics that have characterized Turkey's political evolution,

offering a nuanced understanding of its challenges and prospects in upholding democratic

values.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF DEMOCRACY IN TURKEY

For more than six hundred years, the Ottoman Empire, also called the Turkish Empire, ruled a

vast area of Southeast Europe, West Asia and North Africa, at its peak ruling over 2.1 million

square miles, or about 3.5% of the world, and up to 30 million people. By the middle of the

sixteenth century, however, its strength was faltering, and over the next three centuries, with

fewer and fewer new lands to acquire, and a host of other issues including political

machinations within the sultanate, strengthening of European powers, increased economic

competition due to new trade routes, and eventually the beginning of the Industrial Revolution,

all destabilized the once mighty empire. [1]

The final collapse of the empire came relatively quickly considering its six-hundred-year reign.

The Ottoman Empire entered a secret alliance with Germany as the first world war loomed. The

war was a death knell to the Turkish power and people. More than two thirds of the Ottoman

military were killed during World War I, and up to 3 million civilians died, nearly half of whom

were Armenians who died mostly during a forced death march out of Ottoman territory. Four

years after the war ended, nationalists abolished the sultanate and disbanded the empire.

The Turkish republic emerged in 1923, ready to start anew with secularization and

modernization. The promise of democracy marched arm in arm with the promise of human

rights and respect for the individual over the empire. Over the past century, the fulfillment of

that promise has ebbed and flowed. Currently, it appears to be nearing complete collapse.

Initiation of Multi-Party Politics in 1946

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk founded the Republic of Turkey. Immediately he created a one-party

system known as the Republican People's Party (CHP). The CHP was secular, and as promised,

focused primarily on modernization and westernization. While this was not yet a fully realized

democracy, it considered itself to be one.

The transition towards multi-party politics didn’t fully begin until 1946, with the establishment

of the Democratic Party (DP), bringing Turkey more in line with norms of the West. [2] For the

first time, the electorate had a true choice in their election, a genuine alternative to the CHP.

Alas, pluralism in Turkey was a reality.

The 1950 Elections and Beyond

A true milestone in Turkey’s history was the first free and fair election held in 1950, leading to

a landslide victory for the DP and its leader, Adnan Menderes. These elections reflected the

population's desire for change and a more open political environment. The DP were true to

their campaign promises as well; their tenure was marked by several positive developments,

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Gabbay, S. M. (2024). The Pendulum of Power: Tracing Turkey's Democratic Evolution and Authoritarian Drift. European Journal of Applied Sciences,

Vol - 12(2). 271-278.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/aivp.122.16535

including agricultural and rural development, economic liberalization, and some relaxation on

the religious zealousness that had continued to thrive in the early years of the republic.

Democratic Reforms

In the following decades, Turkey underwent a series of democratic reforms following periods

of political instability and the occasional military coup (1960, 1971, and 1980) each of which

impacted the country's democratic development. Despite these setbacks, efforts to democratize

the political system continued, particularly as Turkey sought closer integration with the

European Union which formed in 1993.

In 1987, Turkey applied to join what was then the European Economic Community, and in 1999

it was declared eligible to join the EU. [3] Eager to be a part of the EU, Turkey enacted multiple

breakthroughs in late 1990’s and early 2000’s around freedom of expression, civil liberties, and

the judiciary. This was a direct response to criteria which the EU had set as part of Turkey’s so- called accession process, and included amendments to the Constitution, the enhancement of

individual rights and freedoms, and reforms aimed at reducing the military's role in politics,

thereby strengthening civilian oversight of the armed forces.

Challenges and Continuities

Despite these efforts, Turkey's journey towards democracy has been fraught with challenges.

The balance between secularism and religious freedom, the role of the military, ethnic and

cultural rights, (particularly for the Kurdish population) and issues related to freedom of the

press and expression have all posed significant obstacles to the consolidation of democracy. [4]

The introduction of multi-party politics in 1946, and other democratic reforms that followed

combined to move Turkey forward toward the realization of a true democracy. On the other

hand, they introduced challenges resulting in a true struggle between Turkey’s democratic

aspirations and resilient authoritarian tendencies.

THE AKP ERA: A TURNING POINT IN TURKISH DEMOCRACY

Early in this millennium, Turkey witnessed the rise of the Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Founded in 2001, the AKP was blended from a combination of conservative, Islamist, and liberal

factions, and labeled itself as "conservative democratic" party. Its ascendancy to power in the

2002 general elections was a watershed moment, a notable shift from the secularist parties that

had defined Turkish politics since 1923. It also signaled a shift in its commitment to democratic

reforms and European Union (EU) accession.

The appointment of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as Prime Minister was a further indication of a

return to Islamic influences in government. Erdoğan had been active within Islamist circles

during the 1970s and 80s, joining Necmettin Erbakan's pro-Islamic Welfare Party. As the party

grew in popularity in the 1990s, Mr. Erdogan was elected as its candidate for mayor of Istanbul

in 1994 and ran the city for the next four years. [5]

Mayor Erdoğan’s term came ended when he was convicted of inciting racial hatred for publicly

reading a nationalist poem that included the lines: "The mosques are our barracks, the domes

our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers." [5] He was imprisoned