The Army and the Radical Left in Turkey: Military Coups, Socialist Revolution and Kemalism

by Özgür Mutlu Ulus

In 1960s Turkey, the armed forces and the radical leftist movement provided two very dynamic, but very different, political forces. However, somewhat surprisingly, the majority of radical leftists believed in the revolutionary potential of the armed forces in overthrowing the current regime and replacing it with a quasi-socialist one. This book considers the changing perspectives of the radical leftist movement towards the political role of the military in Turkey. Using a textual analysis of different leftist groups, including the Communist Party of Turkey, Özgür Mutlu Ulus describes the development of the leftist movement in Turkey after the 1960 coup and explains why most leftists chose to encourage a military revolution, which they hoped would bring about the triumph of socialism in Turkey.

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Nic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a fairly comprehensive overview of Turkish left and one of the few book length accounts of the history available in English.

Explains differing orientations toward army and touches on leading figures in movement, worth reading for someone interested in the history, though the authors perspective clearly informed the account provided of the history.