Relationship between state and civil society in democratization process and Turkish case

ABSTRACT It is observed that the relationship between state and society have a central position in the arguments of democratization process in the 1990's. These arguments focus on what kind of state-civil society relationship result with succession and in which conditions functions that are expected from democratic civil society will be realized. As a result of the developments that take part especialy in the eastern and central Europe, new democracies have occurred. And the efficiency of the democratic civil society is an factor that increases to the preferences of the countries. Studies that examine the conditions of the success of democratization process claim that, this process must operate with double sided by consisting both the state and civil society. While democratic civil society on the one hand ensure the continual of the state, on the other hand it stresses only in a democratic state democratic civil society can occur. This study examines the process in Turkish case in the context of state-civil society in the process of democratization. It investigates the dynamics that determine the relationship of the two from Ottoman historical inheritance till today. And give attention to the view of civil society in the new conditions take occur after 1980's. The main determinant of this relationship is state and there is being a weak civil society against the state. The most important result of this is, demands through the democratization of the system stem from the state. For the organizational weakness of the civil society, system and power of control on the state is weak. This emptiness usually full with by the army and the bill make belongs to the civil society. Legal arrangements especially brought after the 1980's are those that make narrow the space of the civil society. Taking a look at the view of the civil society in the 1990's, altough it is clearly seen that there is a alive civil society, we come into result that, so as to success of democratization, firstly the relationship between state and civil society must be democratized.