A Study on the History of Turkish Democracy

Turkey has nearly two hundred years of democratic experience. From the Tanzimat period to the present day, many important steps have been taken in the name of democratization in Turkey. Turkish democracy, which is thought to be still far behind the West by some intellectual circles, continues to progress despite some difficulties. It is obvious that democracy has been adversely affected, sometimes by the system, sometimes by legislation, and sometimes by anti-democratic interventions in this process. Therefore, while Turkish democracy has developed and has had a certain experience, it has not been able to bring the pace of development to an ideal level. There is a paradox at this point. To eliminate the problems experienced in Turkish democracy today, almost every event in the past of this experience should be investigated objectively within the framework of scientific methods, and the results of the research should be shared with the public. Similarly, to identify, analyze and interpret the difficulties faced by Turkish democracy today, almost every event in the past of the Turkish democratic experience should also be investigated based on same scientific criteria.

In academic terms, it is not a need but a necessity to analyze the history of this democratic experience to fully understand and interpret the causes of some of the fundamental problems experienced in Turkish democracy. At this point, there is a need for historians and historical researchers who will investigate the past of Turkish democracy in all its details, analyze the issues objectively and make robust interpretations. In this context, the research titled “A Study on the History of Turkish Democracy” has emerged to contribute to the history of Turkish democracy.