Debates on democracy in the Turkish press within the framework of the theory of tutelary democracy: May 1945 – July 1946

Democracy is generally thought to have emerged in the city-states of Ancient Greece in the fifth century BC. Throughout history, democracy has not been a static concept and has undergone changes in meaning and content in relation to the prevailing political reality. In this context, it has become difficult to develop a universal definition of democracy. However, as a result of a long historical struggle that has persisted since the emergence of democracy, the liberal understanding of democracy has gained a decisive superiority over other interpretations, and within this framework, liberal democracy has come to be regarded as the dominant form of democracy. In the twentieth century, it has been observed that different conceptions of democracy gained increased significance both in theory and in practice. One of these conceptions is tutelary democracy, which was theorized by Edward Shils. The theory of tutelary democracy, in its most general form, is based on the premise that the populace lacks the necessary qualifications to select their rulers. The conclusion drawn from this premise is that the ruling class must always consist of elite individuals The aim of this study is to reveal the understanding of democracy reflected in the debates that emerged during the founding process of the Democrat Party (DP). In other words, the study seeks to uncover how democracy was conceptualized in 1945–46, a period corresponding to a systemic transformation. In line with the aim of the study, document analysis was employed as a qualitative research method, and newspapers published between May 1945 and July 1946 were examined. The findings obtained from the analysis were interpreted through a hermeneutic approach. As a result of this analysis, it has been concluded that the transition to democracy in Turkey, as reflected in the debates covered by newspapers during the democratization process, was closely linked to a tutelary understanding of democracy