(1950-1960) in Türkey Demokratic Party period security policies

This study, based on discourse analysis, aims to analyze the issues raised during the parliamentary debates of the National Defense Ministry's budget under Democrat Party governments that remained in power throughout the 1950s. Not only are the debates significant to evaluate the Ministry's budgetary requirements, but to comprehend security perceptions prevailed the period under review. In the related literature, it is commonplace to conclude that the parliaments have always ratified NDM's budgets with no critical evaluation. However, this conclusion seems not to fit in the debates of the period that the present study covers. The diversity and intensity of the debates reveal another story, which is in conformity with the lively political atmosphere that remained in effect during the first decade of multi-party politics in Turkey. The speeches delivered in the parliament addressed wide range of matters including technical ones concerning Turkish Armed Forces alongside critical overviews as regards the issues of national security. In the meantime, the study also revealed that the debates failed to address financial aspects of the Ministry's budget. Key Words : National Defense Ministry, Democrat Party, Budget Speeches, National Security, 1950-1960, Discourse Analysis.