Examination of the political, economic and social structure of İstanbul in the Democratic Party period (1950-1960)

The aim of the research is to examine the political, economic and social structure of Istanbul during the Democratic Party Period between 1950-1960. In this context, in order to examine the transformations and changes in the period, it is to focus on the results of the Democratic Party's political attitudes, economic policies and their effects on the social structure of the city. Historically, Istanbul has hosted empires, connects the continents of Europe and Asia, and is an active trade route as a sea and land route, making it one of the most economically important cities in history in terms of its location. Throughout its history, Istanbul has a different richness religiously, vitally and structurally as the city of firsts, where social areas have developed for people. This location has made the city a bridge between east and west. As the capital of the Roman Empire, the city gained great importance both politically and culturally and drew a ceremonial identity. During the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul was not only an administrative center, but also a capital that shaped the spirit of the empire by spreading cultural and spiritual pressure to the provinces. In this historical process, Istanbul has created a unique special and important city perception and has accumulated a rich cultural heritage at the junction of both Eastern and Western civilizations. After the Second World War, important radical changes took place in Turkey as well as all over the world. At the beginning of the developments that paved the way for these changes in Turkey, Celal Bayar, Refik Koraltan, Fuad Köprülü and Adnan Menderes founded the Democrat Party on January 7, 1946. We can call this step as the foundations of the changes in the Turkish political, economic and social structure. After this date, the first steps of the democratic period of the Republic of Turkey were taken. This transformation has gone down in history as one of the most important changes in Turkey's political, economic and social structure. Between 1950 and 1960, Istanbul entered a great process of economic and social transformation. Although it is possible to reach basic food and necessities in the city, the prices of these products have increased rapidly and the cost of living has become widespread. This situation has been especially pronounced in some neighborhoods, leading to the emergence of regional differences. Istanbul has continued to be the most developed industrial city in Turkey. During this period, industrialization in Istanbul was shaped by the production of non-durable consumer goods such as food and weaving. The acceleration of industrialization was influenced by the migration movement in the 1950s, developing infrastructure, increasing transportation facilities, the establishment of private banks and the inflow of foreign capital. Agriculture has never been an important sector in Istanbul's economy. Istanbul remained the province with the lowest share of the country in terms of agricultural incomes. Although the agricultural and animal husbandry opportunities around the city are limited, it has tried to meet the nutritional needs of live animals and animal products from Anatolia for many years. Since the 1950s, livestock breeding has been directed in Istanbul and significant developments have been made in this field. Between 1950 and 1960, Istanbul underwent a major transformation due to the rapidly increasing immigrant population. During this period, Istanbul became home to 5 percent of the country's population and migration constituted the most important problem faced by the city. Rapid migration and unplanned urbanization in this period deepened Istanbul's economic, social and infrastructure problems. The reconstruction of Istanbul became one of the most important issues of the period. Rapid population growth and unplanned growth in the city necessitated extensive development works. During this period, Istanbul was shaped by various master plans and implementation plans. While the zoning works in this period aimed to modernize the city, they created great difficulties in terms of preserving the cultural heritage. Between 1950 and 1960, there were significant changes in the face of Istanbul, especially in daily life and entertainment culture. One of the most important factors of these changes has been the transition to a liberal economic system that focuses on the private sector. In addition, rapprochement with Western countries, especially the United States, has led to changes in society's value judgments. Economic changes and industrialization in this period affected traditional lifestyles, and there were significant transformations in cultural life. In addition to the Marshall Aid and other economic package applications received from the United States, the increase in immigration to Istanbul has led to the emergence of a new rich class in the city. This development changed the social structure of the city and led to the formation of an economically different class structure. Result as; It is possible to see the most concrete images of the process of change and transformation that Turkey entered between 1950 and 1960 in Istanbul. Istanbul has maintained its central importance for Turkey throughout history and has been the city where the new political, economic and social structure of the country began to take shape first. In this process, Istanbul has become the center of many important developments such as industrialization, migration, cultural changes, and the evolution of the social structure. During this period, both the physical and social structure of the city changed significantly, and the dynamic structure of Istanbul served as a model for the future of Turkey.