Local administrations during the Single Party Period

This thesis examines the historical development of local governments on a global and national scale, examining how the concept of local government was shaped within political, administrative, and social contexts during the Single-Party Era (1923-1950) in Turkey. The transformation of local government forms from antiquity to the modern era is explored, emphasizing the balance between centralization and decentralization through the American and French Revolutions. During the transition from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic, the post-Tanzimat reforms and developments during the Constitutional Monarchy periods, in particular, laid the foundations for the local government tradition in Türkiye. During the Single-Party Era, the focus of this thesis, the restructuring of local governments in line with Republican ideology, the establishment of a centralized approach to government, and the impact of party-state integration on these institutions are evaluated through various laws, practices, and reforms. Extending to the İsmet İnönü era after 1938, the thesis also examines the state of local government under the influence of the war years. Keywords: Local Government, Early Republican Period, Centralization, Party-State Integration, Republican Ideology