Military-political relations and defense strategies in Turkey (1923-1950)

In Turkey, the military-politics relations have been discussed in almost every period, and this discussion was made sometimes over the protective role of the army in the republican revolutions, and sometimes over the tutelage regime that it tried to establish. From any angle, the army in Turkey has continued to exist, sometimes as a pioneer and sometimes against, in the making and implementation of important decisions that shape politics, affect governments. While the policies against the army could not be implemented in general and most of the time, the emergence of various groups within the army was inevitable, and these groups turned into coup-hungry juntas after a certain period of time. While the coup discourse and actions first emerged with the end of the Second World War, the fact that the person who occupied the presidency in this period was İsmet İnönü, the hero of the War of Independence, caused the plans to fail, albeit partially. However, the process leading to the May 27, 1960 military coup, the organization of a group of soldiers opposing the Presidency and policies of İnönü, requires a detailed examination of this period. On the other hand, while the pressure on Turkey, especially during the Second World War, pushed the country to implement various defense strategies, the military and economic burden of the war also prevented the governments from being long-lived. As a result, the most important problems of the period appeared as the role of the army in politics and the defense of the country. The study has been handled in a way to cover the years 1923-1950 in terms of giving more detailed information and periodization.