Representing Centre-Right Or Conservative Right? the Case of the Democratic Party in Turkey, 1970-1980
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REPRESENTING CENTRE-RIGHT OR CONSERVATIVE RIGHT? THE CASE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN TURKEY, 1970-1980 A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY GÜLBİN AYŞI ATEŞ IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION JULY 2012 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences _____________________ Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunışık Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. _____________________ Prof. Dr. Raşit Kaya Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. _____________________ Assist. Prof. E. Attila Aytekin Supervisor Examining Committee Members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sibel Kalaycıoğlu (METU, SOC) _________________ Assist. Prof. Dr. Attila Aytekin (METU, ADM) _________________ Assoc. Prof. Dr. Necmi Erdoğan (METU, ADM) _________________ I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. First name, Last name: Gülbin Ayşı Ateş Signature: iii ABSTRACT REPRESENTING CENTRE-RIGHT OR CONSERVATIVE RIGHT? THE CASE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN TURKEY, 1970- 1980 Ateş, Gülbin Ayşı M.S. Department of Political Science and Public Administration Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. E. Attila AYTEKİN July 2012, 158 pages The Democratic Party which was established in 1970, splitting from the Justice Party will be analyzed within this thesis in terms of its ideological components. In this sense, centre right wing and conservative political parties are taken into account to understand the ideology of the party. The period of the Democratic Party is so sufficient to compare and contrast the ideologies of different parties. The Democratic Party is also critical as the party did not participate into any governments, different from the all parties at that period. So, it will show a centre right wing party’s reactions in the absence of patronage routes which is a difference from other members of the centre right wing tradition of the DP and the JP. The absence of the concrete ideological explanations, doctrines which can be observed as an handicap of the centre right wing will be analyzed whether the Democratic Party can overcome or not. Keywords: The Democratic Party, centre rightwing tradition, conservatism, rightwing ideology, the Justice Party. iv ÖZ MERKEZ SAĞ’IN YA DA MUHAFAZAKAR SAĞ’IN TEMSİLİ: TÜRKİYE’DE DEMOKRATİK PARTİ ÖRNEĞİ, 1970- 1980 Ateş, Gülbin Ayşı Yüksek Lisans, Siyaset Bilimi ve Kamu Yönetimi Bölümü Danışman: Yrd. Doç. Dr. E. Attila AYTEKİN Temmuz 2012, 158 sayfa Adalet Partisi’nden koparak 1970 yılında kurulan Demokratik Parti’nin ideolojik öğeleri bu tezde analiz edilecektir. Bu sebeple, merkez sağ ve muhafazakar siyasi partiler, bu partinin ideolojisini anlamak amacıyla dikkate alınmaktadır. Demokratik Parti’nin bulunduğu süreç, farklı partilerin ideolojilerini karşılaştırmak anlamında bereketli bir süreçtir. Demokratik Parti, dönemin diğer tüm partilerinden farklı olarak hiç bir hükümete dahil olmamasıyla da dikkate değerdir. Böylece, merkez sağ olma iddiasında bir partinin, Demokrat Parti ve Adalet Partisi’nden farklı olarak patronaj yolları tıkalıyken nasıl tepkiler verdiği anlaşılabilecektir. Merkez sağın handikap olarak düşünülebilecek net ideolojik açıklamaklar ve doktrinlerinin eksikliğinin Demokratik Parti ile beraber üstesinden gelinip gelinemediği tartışılacaktır. Keywords: Demokratik Parti, merkez sağ gelenek, muhafazakarlık, sağ ideoloji, Adalet Partisi. v To the ones who fulfill their professions -whether academics or not- with enthusiasm and To all beloveds that make life meaningful… vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Truly, this moment of fulfilling the thesis work is very meaningful and full of happiness for me; because it was an experience full of emotion; but done through the help of mind. I am indebted to many people who have been supportive throughout the formation process of this thesis. Every piece of scientific work is a product of a collective activity. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Assist. Prof. Dr. E. Attila Aytekin for his patience, guidance, encouragement and intellectual support throughout this study. Without his help, this thesis could not be completed. I would like to thank to the members of the examining committee, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sibel Kalaycıoğlu who has been supportive to me since the beginning of the undergraduate years and leaded me with her knowledge and kindness; and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Necmi Erdoğan from whom I learned the seriousness of studying the politics and found the energy to learn and study more with his deep knowledge; for their valuable suggestions comments, their enriching contributions. I am particularly grateful to Berkay Ayhan and M. Gökhan Uzuner who always relaxed and supported me since the very beginning of the master study; also to Hasan Faruk Uslu and Hacer Fidan who always listened my endless story with patience. I would like to thank to my big family that consists of my dear friends and my relatives for their help and concern. In fact, it is not easy for me to find enough space for thanking the deserving ones; but I am sure that they will know and realize that I mention about them. While the study got more important for me, my dear friends also continued to support me and wished for my success. Their pure and genuine desire for my success and endless care helped me to understand again that “my life is beautiful with them in all hard and entertaining times”. vii I would like to thank to my parents, Ömer Alan and Şengül Alan -who beautifies everything she touches- for leading me in the long path of the education and for believing in me without hesitation. Last but not least, my dear husband, Himmet Ateş deserves the most as sharing the long period of the thesis study and encouraging me that made him so familiar with this science. It is not possible to thank him anyway; but I have to declare that it is such a luck for me to share the life with him. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM………………………………………………………………….… ... iii ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………. .. iv ÖZ………………………………………………………………………………. ....... v DEDICATION…………………………………………………………………. ....... vi ACKNOWLEGMENTS………………………………………………………… .... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………….…...…. ............ ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………...……………….….........1 2. THE DP-JP TRADITION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY……………………………………...……………….…..…………......…….6 2.1. The DP-JP Tradition…………………………….……………………......…….6 2.1.1. Nationalist Conservatism of the DP-JP .Tradition………………………………………..……………......………….....…….7 2.1.2. Concluding Remarks………………………….…………………..….....…….………….....….…9 2.2. Turkish Politics in 1960s…………………………….…………………..…….13 2.3. Fragmentation within the JP………………………………………...…...…….22 2.4. Establishment of the Democratic Party and 70s ………………………...……..………………………………………...…...…….…33 2.4.1. Elections and the Democratic Party…………………………...….….38 3. THE ACTUAL POLITICS OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY …………………………..………………………………………...….………......…40 ix 3.1. Politics in 1970s.........................……………………………………….40 3.2. 1971 Memorandum.......……………………………………….….……45 3.2.1. Constitutional Amendments Enacted After 1971...............................................................…………………... ….….…….50 3.3. 1971-3 Technocratic Governments........................…………………….53 3.4. 1973 Election Results ………………………….……………………....58 3.4.1. The RPP-NSP government.........................................................61 3.4.2. The Idea of A Rightwing Coalition……………………………63 3.4.3. The Democratic Party-RPP Government Attempt in 1974…………………………....………………............…..........……………65 3.5. First National Front Government……………………...……………….66 3.5.1.Resignation of Nines’ from the Democratic Party……………………………………………….……………..…………..67 3.6.1977 Elections and the Democratic Party’s Single MP…………………………………………...………….……………..…….73 3.6.1. Ecevit Government in 1978…………………………………..74 4. IDEOLOGICAL STANDPOINT OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY………………………......……………………………………….....77 4.1. Nationalism of the Democratic Party ………………………………………...………..............……………….......77 4.2. Conservatism of the Democratic Party …………………………..........88 4.2.1. National Spiritual Values …………………………………….…..………………………….................94 4.2.2. Ideas about Religion …………………………………….…..…………….….………...................98 4.2.3. The National Salvation Party and the Democratic Party…………….…..…………….….…………….…..…………….…......102 4.2.4. Nationalist-Conservatism of the Democratic Party…………………….…..…………….….…….…..…………….…......106 4.3. Democracy and National Will…………………………………….......110 4.3.1. National Will Conceptualization of the Party ………………….…..…………………………………….…....……….…...110 4.3.2. Fundamental Rights and Liberties Understanding of the Party ………………………………..………………………….….....……….…...111 x 4.3.3. Democracy Notion of the Party ………………………………………….……………….…........……….…...115 4.3.4. Populism of the Party …………………………………………….………………..........……….…...121 4.3.5. The Party’s Ideas about State ………………………………….……………..…………............……….…...125