The military interventions of 1976 in Argentina and 1980 in Turkey ? an analysis and comparison of the civil-military relations

This thesis aims to shed light on the similarities of the contexts and underlying reasons of the military interventions that took place in 1976 in Argentina and 1980 in Turkey through analysis and comparison of the civil-military relations in Turkey in Argentina. Argentina and Turkey are two countries which originated from and have existed in indisputably distinct historical, cultural and institutional conditions. However, they also have significant similarities as far as their courses of political evolution are concerned, among which the military intervention patterns play a crucial part. The most common patterns are found to be the role of the militaries in the founding of the states and the high esteem of the military figures among the society as the founders of the state, self-perceptions of the militaries as the saviors and the guardians of the nation and the state ideology, German impact on the military officers and institutions until 1960s, United States training and impact on the military officers and institutions from 1960s onwards, political culture that favors military interventions as an alternative to the civilian governments, international conjuncture of Cold War, National Security Strategies designed accordingly, the silent concession of the United States to the interventions, and the role of religion as an antidote to communism.