Kütahya in the Democrat Party period (1950-1960)

This study examines the political, economic, social and cultural developments in Kütahya between 1950 and 1960, when the Democrat Party (DP) was in power. The DP succeeded in getting a full list of MPs from Kütahya in the 1950, 1954 and 1957 elections, and became one of the most important strongholds of the party. The DP government has made large-scale investments in the industrial and energy sectors in Kütahya. In addition to industrial facilities such as the Kütahya Sugar Factory and the Kütahya Nitrogen Factory, energy projects such as the Tunçbilek Regional Thermal Power Plant and the Kayaköy Hydroelectric Power Plant have been implemented. The Emet Bor Enterprise, which has one of the largest boron reserves in Turkey, also started operating during this period. In line with these developments, there has also been a growth in banking and commercial activities in parallel with the population growth in the city. In addition to the renovation of existing schools and increasing their capacities, the basis of many new village schools were laid during this period. In line with the activities of the Kütahya Technical Agriculture Diroctorate, mechanization in agriculture has become widespread, and with the gradual expansion of beet cultivation, sector has played an important role in regional development. The local press has also shown a parallel development to the increasing number of newspapers in this period. As a result, the DP's power between 1950 and 1960 led to fundamental changes in the economic, social and cultural structure of Kütahya, bringing the city to an important level in the modernization process. The investments and reforms carried out during this period have made Kütahya one of the most important industrial cities of Turkey.