Religion and Ideology: Transformation of Turkish Nationalism from Republican Peasants' Nation Party to Nationalist Action Party

SANLI F. S.

Amme Idaresi Dergisi, vol.56, no.1, pp.91-114, 2023 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 56 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2023
  • Journal Name: Amme Idaresi Dergisi
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, Central & Eastern European Academic Source (CEEAS), TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
  • Page Numbers: pp.91-114
  • Keywords: Alparslan Türkeş, CKMP, MHP, religion, Turkish Nationalism
  • Hacettepe University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

There had been important developments in the intellectual and political life of Turkey after the military coup on May 27, 1960. Right after the coup, while political parties were evolving to an idea-oriented structure, doctrine oriented political parties were being established. In the political arena, Turkish nationalism was represented by the Republican Peasants' Nation Party (Cumhuriyetçi Köylü Millet Partisi, CKMP) the leadership of which was carried by Alparslan Türkeş since 1965. Under the leadership of Alparslan Türkeş who was coming from the secular Turkist -Türkçü- tradition identified with the Kemalist stance of the military, CKMP transformed from being a secular Turkist nationalist party between 1965 and 1969 to a nationalist-conservative party. The name of the party was changed to Nationalist Action Party (Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi-MHP) while the party emblem was changed to the crescent to be reminiscent of Islam and Ottoman State. Among the motivations behind this transformation, apart from political pragmatism, anti-communism, the conservative tendencies of the youth entering the Party and the revisionist perspective of the Party's foreign policy played a role.