Where Turkey is heading today

The Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

The Empire had left behind a parliamentary tradition, among other assets and this could have been the basis of a democratic republic. However, the war hero-turned-president Atatürk soon took the fateful step of establishing a single-party state instead of a multi-party democracy. That is why Atatürk and his followers (i.e., the “Kemalists”) dominated the state singlehandedly throughout the second quarter of the 20th century.

Atatürk not only established an authoritarian regime, which was “benevolent” according to his supporters, yet not-so-benevolent according to his opponents. He also initiated a process of “cultural revolution” in order to transform society. This was a top-down effort to westernize society, from its alphabet to its dress code. It was only partially successful, though, as a large part of society remained silent opponents. The biggest component in this non-Kemalist camp constituted of religious conservatives, who disliked the authoritarian secularization and Westernization program of the regime.

Since 1950, the year of the “Turkish Spring,” religious conservatives had the opportunity to vote for center-right and Islamic-leaning parties that would represent, or at least, respect their values.

However, this democratic participation was limited, and sometimes cut short, by the Kemalist elite, which had created mechanisms for its own dominance. Especially the military, the citadel of Kemalism, executed a system of “tutelage” on elected politicians, by military coups and coup threats.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is indeed a...