The political life of Lutfi Kirdar

This study focuses on the active political role played by Dr. Lütfi Kırdar during the most critical period in the history of the Turkish Republic, encompassing the National Struggle, the single political party period, the Second World War, the transition to a multi-party political system, and the coup of May27; and the effects of his role on the periodic breaking points in Turkish political life. The topic of this research is of particular interest for the following reason: Dr. Kırdar was a member of the group of people that foundedthe Turkish Republic;he held a political point of view that was independent of the politics of the National Leadershipperiod; many of hismunicipal accomplishmentswere revolutionary in nature; he was favored greatly by the Turkish media, mainly due to his demeanor and behavior; his close relations with the ambassadors of key States of the Second World War helped the Turkish nation to come through the period with the least damage; and he was well liked by the public during his termsin office. Yet, hehas been all but forgotten in Turkish Political History. The study includes a review of literature covering thevarious stages in Dr. Lütfi Kırdar's political career; thecollected data has been processed using the method of comparison.Information gathered from living witnesses has been analyzed in light of historical documents, and used to determine Lütfi Kırdar's impact on recent Turkish Political History. Kırdar was well known in bureaucratic circlesafter 1935. During his 11 years as the Governor of Istanbul, he drew considerable attention with his performance, his struggle against party-state integrationof the single-party period, and his politicalstance. The coup of May 27 ended Kırdar's political careerand cost him his life. He proved that one can be independent and politically neutral even in multi-party systems, and always advocatedthe indispensability of political ethics in governing a country. Thepresent study has endeavored to reveal the role and importance of Dr. Lütfi Kırdar in Turkish history:a revolutionary, a contemporarypolitical figure who was very close to Atatürk throughout the period beginning with the war of independence, the period that made the establishment of the Republic and its reformsinevitable; a man who is almost forgotten in the dusty annals of history. Key Words: Lütfi Kırdar, The National Struggle, Single Party Period,Governorship of Istanbul, May 27th.