The historical trajectory of cooperative in Turkey: The state initiative-the development ideal

The facts of solidarity, collaboration and cooperation are based on very old times in the history of humanity. However, the identification of these cases in modern economic structures was possible in the 19th century. The cooperatives have emerged for the first time in England to respond to both economic and social needs during this period of challenging capitalism. In this respect, the cooperatives which are established by individuals to realize their economic goals differ from other types of business with their value-based structures and principles. In particular, it is understood that the movement of the cooperatives in the West started as a result of the necessity of an organization coming out of the people in line with the demands of the grassroots. When a private examination is carried out in Turkey, it is seen that contrary to their counterparts in the West the cooperative practices are started by the state, not by a demand from the people, This beginning is an unchanging indicator of the long-standing situation in Turkey when the cooperative practices have emerged in the second half of the 1800s. In this context, with thesis, it is aimed to examine the processes of cooperatives in Turkey to develop the idea of cooperatives and emerge strong practices not only quantitatively but also qualitatively. Development of the Turkish cooperative movement have been explained in relation to the phases of cooperatives practices and the periodic consideration of economic policies within the historical process and also the reasons of the changes in the new period of cooperative activities have been revealed. Although it is emphasized that the philosophy of cooperatives is not far from lifestyle and culture in Turkey, it is observed that cooperative practices have been carried out for many years in the framework of economic and economic policies. In addition, it is possible to see that state control was over cooperatives until a short while ago. Also, in recent years, a break from the previous period is observed. Key Words: Cooperatives, Economic Policies, Cooperative Theory, Cooperative Movement