Examination of the intellectual, political and organizational structure of March 9, 1971 coup attempt

During the establishment phase of the Republic of Turkey, the military played a key role and saw itself as the guarantor of the state and the regime as the process progressed. From this period onwards, the military preferred to remain active and influential in the political sphere. The extensive social transformation in Turkey during the 1960s also affected the Turkish Armed Forces. Following the coup on May 27, 1960, which marked the first successful attempt to seize control of the government, the idea of taking power through coups continued to gain popularity. Two coup attempts led by Talat Aydemir in 1962 and 1963 resulted in failure. The entrance of the Turkey Workers' Party, which declared itself socialist, into the Parliament for the first time after the 1965 elections, along with the influence of anti-American youth movements that emerged primarily in Europe, led to increased tension in the country by the end of the 1960s. Events that had not been seen before occurred in Turkey, with students and workers coming to the forefront and expressing their anti-establishment views. Dissatisfaction within the army began to emerge towards the end of the period, particularly towards the Justice Party led by Süleyman Demirel, which came to power in 1965. With Faruk Gürler as the Chief of the Army and Muhsin Batur as the Chief of the Air Force, the tendency for intervention within the military gained strength, and these two generals initiated efforts to take control of the government through a coup. Disagreements arose between the leaders of this junta, excluding the President and the Chief of the General Staff, and while intervention was decided to take place on March 9, it couldn't be carried out due to Faruk Gürler's withdrawal. On March 12, a memorandum was presented to the government, and subsequently, many officers and generals involved in the March 9 movement, except for Faruk Gürler and Muhsin Batur, were forced to be retired.