THE EUROPEAN TRANSFORMATION OF TURKISH BUREAUCRATIC ELITES

Year 2015, Volume: 2 Issue: 3, 147 - 189, 15.04.2015

Yasin Özcan

Abstract

The objective of this article is to study the bureaucratic elites which have always been the decision making and dominant class in Turkey within an elitist theory framework and the transforming impact of the EU membership process on these elites within a historical process. As a result of the Ottoman -Turkish state tradition the bureaucratic elites have had a major role in the modernization and westernization process. The power struggle of the bureaucratic elites as well as their relations with society has been studied from a historical and sociological and political perspective. The bureaucracy which was a disassociated class in society serving the Sultan with loyalty during the classic Ottoman period enhanced its influence during the recession period of the empire to become a partner in power. During the reform period the bureaucratic elites pioneered the westernization movements which were perceived as a solution to the collapse of the state and tried to redesign both the state and society with reforms from the top because they view the people as masses to be lead. The new Turkish Republic which inherited the political culture and state traditions of the empire was established by these bureaucratic elites. During the policy making process the bureaucratic elites who were always influential had their golden age during the first years of the republic. A power struggle between the power elected by the people and the bureaucratic elites started with the transition into democracy. There has always been a stressful relationship between the bureaucratic elites which perceived to know what was best for the state and society and the elected governments. At the culmination of these tensions the military wing of the bureaucratic elites would intervene and seize the administration. After such interventions the army implemented a system of

Keywords

Elite Theory, Bureaucratic Elite, Turkish State Tradition, Civil- Military Relations, European Union

TÜRK BÜROKRATİK ELİTLERİN AVRUPA DÖNÜŞÜMÜ

Abstract

Bu makalenin amacı elitist teori çerçevesinde Türk toplumunda her zaman karar
verici ve egemen sınıf olan bürokratik elitleri ve EU üyelik sürecinin bu elitler üzerindeki
dönüştürücü etkisini tarihi süreç içerisinde incelemektir. Osmanlı-Türk devlet geleneğinin sonucu olarak bürokratik elitler modernleşme ve batılılaşma sürecinde önemli bir rol
oynamışlardır. Çalışmada bürokratik elitlerin bu süreçte girdikleri iktidar mücadelesi ve
toplumla ilişkileri tarihsel olduğu kadar, sosyolojik ve politik açıdan da ele alınmıştır. Osmanlının klasik döneminde toplumdan kopuk bir zümre olarak sultana sadakatle hizmet
eden bürokrasi, imparatorluğun gerileme döneminde devlet idaresinde etkinliği arttırmış
ve iktidara ortak olmuştur. Tanzimat döneminde devletin yıkılmasına çare olarak görülen
batılılaşma hareketlerinin öncüsü olan bürokratik elitler, tepeden inme reformlarla hem
devleti hem de toplumu dizayn etmeye çalışmışlar; halkı yönetilecek yığınlar olarak görmüşlerdir. İmparatorluğun siyasal kültürünü ve devlet geleneğini devralan Yeni Türkiye
Cumhuriyeti bu bürokratik elitler tarafından kurulmuştur. Politika yapma sürecinde her
zaman etkin olan bürokratik elitler, cumhuriyetin ilk yıllarında altın çağlarını yaşamışlardır. Demokrasiye geçişle birlikte halkın seçtiği iktidarlarla bürokratik elit arasında
güç mücadelesi başlamıştır. Devlet ve toplum için en iyi kararın kendileri tarafından verilmesi gerektiğine inanan bürokratik elitler ile seçilmiş hükümetler arasında her zaman
gerilimli bir ilişki olmuştur. Bu gerilimlerin zirve yaptığı dönemlerde bürokratik elitlerin
askeri kanadı askeri müdahalede bulunarak yönetime el koymuştur. Bu müdahaleler sonrasında siyasal iktidar üzerinde vesayet sistemi kuran ordu, toplumun ve ülkenin merkezine yerleşmiştir. Avrupa Birliğine giriş sürecinde yapılan uyum yasaları ve reformlarla
ordunun bu konumu zayıflamıştır. Avrupa Birliğinin siyasal koşulu olan Kopenhag siyasi
kriterlerinin Türkiye’nin demokratikleşmesine ve normalleşmesine yaptığı katkı hayatidir.

Keywords

Elit Teori, Bürokratik Elit, Türk Devlet Geleneği

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