Army and the Radical Left in Turkey

Ozgur Mutlu Ulus holds a PhD in Turkish Studies from University of Leiden.

'Between World War II and the 1970s, especially after the military coup of May 1960 and the introduction of the new and liberal Constitution of 1961, the Turkish left flowered in all its many varieties for the first and last time. It was the time of the progressiveA" army coups in Egypt, Syria, Iraq and of the Algerian independence war and based on these examples many among the Turkish left entertained very high expectations of a progressive and liberating role of the Turkish army. In the end all the expectations of the left proved to be severely misguided. This became clear when the army suppressed worker protest in 1970 and executed a coup by memorandumA" in March 1971, after which the left was mercilessly persecuted. Here, A-zgur Mutlu Ulus has made a painstaking analysis of the ideas current in the different left-wing factions, based on a very thorough reading of the many periodicals published at the time (and preserved in the IISH) as well as on oral history interviews with surviving members of the different groups. I would certainly recommend this book.' - Professor Erik-Jan Zurcher, Professor of Turkish Studies, Leiden University, General Director of the International Institute of Social History, and author of Turkey: A Modern History (I.B.Tauris); 'In this book, A-zgur Mutlu Ulus explains and critically analyses the different positions and views taken by leftist movements with respect to the pivotal role of the army in Turkey. She has thus undertaken an extensive study of all leftist groups mainly using their periodicals and other publications, supplementing these with interviews of leaders or members of different groups. This book furthermore shows that the debates of the time centering on the analysis of Turkish society and the founding of the republic under the leadership of Kemal Ataturk continue to have a direct bearing on the role of the army. Ulus questions why the expectations of the leftists were proved to be almost completely misguided as the army actually, by intervening in politics, suppressed the working class and leftist movement in 1971. The causes of coup by memorandumA" in 1971 are still under question in Turkey, and I think the work of Ulus offers valuable insight into this explosive occurrence. This book is both interesting and important and I would certainly recommend it.' - Dr Yasar Onay, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Istanbul Aydin University