The Turkish Left and Anti-Imperialism in the 1970s
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The Turkish Left and AntiImperialism in the 1970s Emre Eren Korkmaz Department of International Relations, Altınbaş University, Istanbul, Turkey
Synonyms Anti-imperialism; Communist Party of Turkey; Kemalism; Leninism; Maoism; Sino-Soviet split; Soviet imperialism; Turkey
Definition This essay examines the many factors involved in the deep polarisation of the socialist movement in Turkey in the 1970s as fundamentally predicated on the Sino-Soviet split of the previous decade. However, to understand the “local” significance of polemics between pro-China and pro-USSR factions, the essay analyses the historical legacy of the anti-imperialist movement in the political history of Turkey. The socialist movement in the 1960s had a strongly anti-imperialist character, and the essay argues that it is possible to observe the evolution from a Kemalist version of antiimperialism to one based on various versions of Marxism-Leninism.
Introduction The 1970s were marked by the rise of the leftwing and anti-imperialist movement in Turkey. This was the Turkish revolutionary movement’s strongest period in its history, during which the Turkish left in general was able to engage with extensive popular segments. While left-wing and anti-imperialist groups were mobilising millions, the mainstream Republican People’s Party (CHP) adopted a leftist, social-democrat position in the 1970s with the change of its leadership from Inonu to Ecevit in 1972. It became the first party in the 1973 general election with 33 per cent of the vote, and it received 41 per cent of the vote in the 1977 general election. This period witnessed the flourishing of many parties and democratic organisations. The labour movement, student movement, peasant movement, women’s movement along with illegal or semi-legal armed groups and resistance organisations acted throughout the country. On 12 September 1980, this period came to an end with the military coup d’état and subsequent dictatorship of General Kenan Evren. This crushed all organisations and suppressed the movement. Despite the existence of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) since 1920, the socialist movement consisted of a small group of intellectuals and workers that permanently faced state repression until the 1970s. Following the rise of the people’s movement in the 1960s, the youth movement radicalised, Marxist publications attracted
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 I. Ness, Z. Cope (eds.), The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91206-6_276-1
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the interest of intellectuals, and strong labour confederations and student organisations were formed. Many revolutionary parties and organisations emerged at the dawn of the 1970s. Despite the 1971 military memorandum and the elimination of the revolutionary movement’s leaders through a series of political murders in 1972 and 1973, the socialist movement was able to strengthen between 1975 and 1980. On 12 March 1971, a military memorandum was signed by the
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