Agricultura in government and political party programs between 1923 and 1960

The Ottoman Empire's agriculture-based economy entered an unstable and unsustainable period, in part due to the great waves of migration following the Ottoman-Russian War, and national struggle in the aftermath of the Balkan Wars and World War I. The war-driven challenging conditions and migration resulted in a shortage of labor and a subsequent drop in production in Anatolia, and this convinced Ataturk to give priority to rural development during foundation period of the Republic of Turkey. His plan in this regard was to turn Anatolian villagers into farmers, and to empower them by introducing them to modern agricultural techniques, ushering in a period of agricultural and agriculture-based development. The outbreak of World War II, at the time of the presidency of İsmet İnönü, had an apparent negative impact on the economy. Financial support to military munitions and expenses of the soldiers in preparation for the possibility of entering the war led to the application of high taxes such as Capital Tax or national security law taxes impacted on the citizens, and especially the rural population. As a result, during İnönü's presidency, even though it was announced that the development models that had been adopted during the foundation period of the Republic would be implemented, application of high taxes resulted in the impoverishment of producers and a decrease in agricultural yield. During Adnan Menderes' presidency, Turkey's peaceful foreign relations were reflected in the agricultural policy of the country, resulting in a drop in taxes, a transition to modern agricultural techniques and the launch of mechanization. The farmers were supported and irrigation policies were strengthened in this period, and policies aimed at supporting the rural farmers were included in political party policies. In this study, governmental and political agricultural policies in the three most important periods of the Turkish Republic have been analyzed. The basis of the rural development policies adopted by the newly established country is reviewed in the first section, while the impact of internal and foreign political challenges on agriculture is examined in the second section. For the Adnan Menderes period, an analysis is conducted to investigate the mechanization of agriculture and irrigation-focused policies of both the government and the individual political parties. Key Words: Ottoman Empire, Balkan, I. World Wars, National Struggle, II. World War, Atatürk, İsmet İnönü, Adnan Menderes.