Political life in Konya between 1965-1971

The 1960s coincide with a period in which many firsts and important developments took place in the history of the Republic. As a matter of fact, for the first time, with the coup of May 27, 1960, political parties were cut in and the governance was handed over to the military. Although civilian administration was re-established with the 1961 elections, the influence of the military in politics continued. As a result of the elections, no party managed to reach the number of votes to come to power alone, and coalition governments were established for the first time in Turkey. On the other hand, with the freedom provided by the 1961 Constitution, different ideas found a ground for themselves in the political arena, and this situation led to parties positioning themselves as right and left. As a result of this, social divisions began to show themselves sharply towards the end of the 1960s. Social divisions weakened the authority of the Justice Party, which came to power alone in the 1965 elections, and caused the relatively stable political process to be interrupted. As a result, with the March 12, 1971 memorandum, for the first time in Turkey, a party was removed from power by military pressure. In this study, the example of Konya between 1965 and 1971, which encompassed the Justice Party's rule, was taken and the political developments and social events that took place during that period were examined. Indeed, Konya, which constituted the electoral stratum of the Democrat Party, which was removed from power with the 1960 coup, became one of the cities that were important in political activities with this feature. The 1965 general elections, when the right-left distinction in Turkish politics sharpened, were a process in which this division was clearly reflected in the elections for the first time. This separation, which continued in the 1969 elections and afterwards, also showed its effect in Konya. Indeed, in all elections held between 1965 and 1971, Konya clearly demonstrated its right-wing stance by supporting the AP, which was seen as the heir of the Democrat Party.