Research Article

POLITICS IN TÜRKİYE BETWEEN TWO MILITARY INTERVENTIONS (1960-1971)

Volume: 26 Number: 52 July 31, 2026
TR EN

POLITICS IN TÜRKİYE BETWEEN TWO MILITARY INTERVENTIONS (1960-1971)

Abstract

This article examines Türkiye’s political landscape between 1960 and 1971, a decade marked by two military interventions and significant structural transformations. Drawing primarily on annual reports prepared by British Ambassadors, it analyses how these documents interpreted Türkiye’s domestic politics and influenced British foreign policy. This article synthesizes political developments in Türkiye from 1960 to 1971, from the overthrow of the Democrat Party to the 12 March 1971 Memorandum. Drawing on contemporaneous diplomatic annual reviews and subsequent analyses, it reconstructs the interaction between civilian politics and military tutelage, the evolution of constitutional engineering under the 1961 framework, and the role of socio-economic pressures, labour mobilization, student radicalism, and macroeconomic imbalances, in shaping outcomes. Year-by-year sections provide an analytic narrative of institutions, actors, and turning points, followed by a consolidated assessment. The article reveals that the decade witnessed profound political turbulence: the 1960 coup, constitutional reforms, coalition governments, socio-economic modernization efforts, and escalating ideological polarization culminating in the 1971 military memorandum. These developments underscore the interplay between domestic instability, military influence, and democratic aspirations, while highlighting the role of external observers in interpreting Türkiye’s political trajectory.

Keywords

References

  1. The National Archives, United Kingdom (TNA)
  2. FO371/160212/RK1011/1, Turkey: Annual Review for 1960.
  3. FO371/163832/CT1011/1, Turkey: Annual Review for 1961.
  4. FO371/169514/CT1011/1, Turkey: Annual Review for 1962.
  5. FO371/174971/CT1011/1, Turkey: Annual Review for 1963.
  6. FO371/180150CT1011/1, Turkey: Annual Review for 1964.
  7. FO371/185824/CT1011/1, Turkey: Annual Review for 1965.
  8. FCO/9/614/CT1/1, Turkey: Annual Review for 1966.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

History of The Republic of Turkiye

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

July 31, 2026

Submission Date

January 16, 2026

Acceptance Date

April 13, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 26 Number: 52

APA
Yeşilbursa, B. K. (2026). POLITICS IN TÜRKİYE BETWEEN TWO MILITARY INTERVENTIONS (1960-1971). Çağdaş Türkiye Tarihi Araştırmaları Dergisi, 26(52), 453-474. https://doi.org/10.18244/cttad.1865458
AMA
1.Yeşilbursa BK. POLITICS IN TÜRKİYE BETWEEN TWO MILITARY INTERVENTIONS (1960-1971). Çağdaş Türkiye Tarihi Araştırmaları Dergisi. 2026;26(52):453-474. doi:10.18244/cttad.1865458
Chicago
Yeşilbursa, Behçet Kemal. 2026. “POLITICS IN TÜRKİYE BETWEEN TWO MILITARY INTERVENTIONS (1960-1971)”. Çağdaş Türkiye Tarihi Araştırmaları Dergisi 26 (52): 453-74. https://doi.org/10.18244/cttad.1865458.
EndNote
Yeşilbursa BK (July 1, 2026) POLITICS IN TÜRKİYE BETWEEN TWO MILITARY INTERVENTIONS (1960-1971). Çağdaş Türkiye Tarihi Araştırmaları Dergisi 26 52 453–474.
IEEE
[1]B. K. Yeşilbursa, “POLITICS IN TÜRKİYE BETWEEN TWO MILITARY INTERVENTIONS (1960-1971)”, Çağdaş Türkiye Tarihi Araştırmaları Dergisi, vol. 26, no. 52, pp. 453–474, July 2026, doi: 10.18244/cttad.1865458.
ISNAD
Yeşilbursa, Behçet Kemal. “POLITICS IN TÜRKİYE BETWEEN TWO MILITARY INTERVENTIONS (1960-1971)”. Çağdaş Türkiye Tarihi Araştırmaları Dergisi 26/52 (July 1, 2026): 453-474. https://doi.org/10.18244/cttad.1865458.
JAMA
1.Yeşilbursa BK. POLITICS IN TÜRKİYE BETWEEN TWO MILITARY INTERVENTIONS (1960-1971). Çağdaş Türkiye Tarihi Araştırmaları Dergisi. 2026;26:453–474.
MLA
Yeşilbursa, Behçet Kemal. “POLITICS IN TÜRKİYE BETWEEN TWO MILITARY INTERVENTIONS (1960-1971)”. Çağdaş Türkiye Tarihi Araştırmaları Dergisi, vol. 26, no. 52, July 2026, pp. 453-74, doi:10.18244/cttad.1865458.
Vancouver
1.Behçet Kemal Yeşilbursa. POLITICS IN TÜRKİYE BETWEEN TWO MILITARY INTERVENTIONS (1960-1971). Çağdaş Türkiye Tarihi Araştırmaları Dergisi. 2026 Jul. 1;26(52):453-74. doi:10.18244/cttad.1865458