The History of Turkey, 2nd Edition by Douglas A. Howard

Author:Douglas A. Howard [Douglas A. Howard]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9781440834677
Publisher: ABC-CLIO

Political instability marked the next several years, as a series of short-lived coalition governments headed by İnönü, with the support of the army, tried to implement the constitution and oversee economic development in the face of this stubborn opposition. In the wake of elections that arguably vindicated the old Democrats, there was little incentive for the Justice Party to cooperate with the government. Even before the first cabinet could be formed, workers began demonstrating in the streets, demanding action on the constitution’s guarantee of the right to strike. Angry junior officers, resolutely determined to prevent a neo-Democrat takeover, plotted another coup. Col. Talat Aydemir, a key conspirator in the 1950s who had missed the coup due to his posting in Korea, was arrested for attempting to take over the government in February 1962. This episode brought the Justice Party to a brief rapprochement with the CHP, but their coalition lasted only until May of that year. When it collapsed, İnönü formed a second coalition, this time with the other two parties. This second coalition lasted about a year and a half, during which time Col. Aydemir was executed after a second coup attempt was thwarted in May 1963.

Local elections in November 1963 made it clear that the CHP no longer had the consent of the governed. İnönü resigned and President Gürsel invited Rağıp Gümüşpala, head of the Justice Party, to form a new government. Although he was unable to do so, the evident willingness of the army to consent to an administration headed by Justice contributed to a feeling of greater optimism for the future. İsmet İnönü, now 80 years old, once again cobbled together a coalition and assumed the prime ministry. A weak union of the CHP and independent deputies, this government managed to survive for 14 months, mainly because throughout 1964, everyone became preoccupied with the Cyprus issue. It too finally collapsed on a budget vote in February 1965, and the country limped to general elections in October 1965.

The principle issues dividing the parties were socioeconomic, and thus the first casualty of the elections of 1961 had been the very reforms that were vital to the success of the constitution. An example of this can be seen in the issue of state planning. After failure of the first coalition, İnönü was forced to make concessions to the right in order to form another. Strident opponents of planning ended up in the cabinet. When the five-year plan went to the High Planning Council for discussion, the section on agrarian reform never reached the table because of cabinet objections, measures to make the state economic enterprises more competitive were rejected, and the cabinet also refused to accede to proposed tax reforms needed to finance the plan. The technical advisors to the State Planning Organization resigned over the obvious lack of political commitment to their work.

The 1965 elections, however, saw the rise of important new political figures. One was Süleyman Demirel, new chairman of the Justice Party. Demirel represented a new generation of Turkish politician.

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