1971 Turkish military memorandum
1971 Turkish military memorandum | |||||
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Belligerents | |||||
Turkish Armed Forces | Government of Turkey | ||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||
Memduh Tağmaç | Süleyman Demirel | ||||
Casualties and losses | |||||
Hundreds of deaths and injuries |
The 1971 Turkish military memorandum (Turkish: 12 Mart Muhtırası), issued on 12 March that year, was the second military intervention to take place in the Republic of Turkey, coming 11 years after its 1960 predecessor. It is known as the "coup by memorandum", which the military delivered in lieu of sending out tanks, as it had done previously. The event came amid worsening domestic strife, but ultimately did little to halt this phenomenon.
Background
As the 1960s wore on, violence and instability plagued Turkey. An economic recession late in that decade sparked a wave of social unrest marked by street demonstrations, labour strikes and political assassinations.
By January 1971, Turkey appeared to be in a state of chaos. The universities had ceased to function. Students, emulating Latin American urban guerrillas, robbed banks and kidnapped US servicemen, also attacking American targets. The homes of university professors critical of the government were bombed by
Memorandum
It was in this atmosphere that on 12 March, the
The coup did not come as a surprise to most Turks, but the direction it would take was uncertain, as its collective nature made it difficult to discern which faction in the armed forces had seized the initiative. The liberal intelligentsia hoped it was the radical-reformist wing led by
The commanders who seized power were reluctant to exercise it directly, deterred by the problems that faced the
Aftermath
In April, politics was eclipsed (and the envisaged reform put off until after 1973) when a new wave of terror began, carried out by the Turkish People's Liberation Army, in the form of kidnappings with ransom demands and bank robberies. Intelligence sources confirmed rumours that dissident junior officers and military cadets were directing this force. On 27 April, martial law was declared in 11 of 67 provinces, including major urban areas and Kurdish regions. Soon, youth organisations were banned, union meetings prohibited, leftist (but not militant neo-fascist) publications proscribed and strikes declared illegal. After the Israeli consul was abducted on 17 May, hundreds of students, young academics, writers, trade unionists and Workers' Party activists—not just leftists but also people with liberal-progressive sympathies—were detained and tortured. The consul was shot four days later after a daytime curfew had been announced.[11]
For the next two years, repression continued, with martial law renewed every two months.
Ferit Melen, who made little impression, took over the premiership in April 1972,[12] followed a year later by Naim Talu, whose main task was to lead the country to elections. (An important reassertion of civilian influence took place in March–April 1973, when Demirel and Ecevit, normally at odds, both rejected the generals' choice for president, instead having Fahri Korutürk elected to the post by the Assembly.[15]) By summer 1973, the military-backed regime had achieved most of its political tasks. The constitution was amended so as to strengthen the state against civil society; special courts were in place to deal with all forms of dissent quickly and ruthlessly (these tried over 3,000 people before their abolition in 1976); the universities, their autonomy ended, had been made to curb the radicalism of students and faculty; radio, television, newspapers and the constitutional court were curtailed; the National Security Council was made more powerful; and, once the Workers' Party was dissolved in July 1971, the trade unions were pacified and left in an ideological vacuum.[16][17] That May, Necmettin Erbakan's National Order Party had been shut down, which the government claimed showed its even-handedness in the anti-terror campaign, but he was not tried and allowed to resume his activities in October 1972; the National Action Party and the right-wing terrorists who worked under its aegis were left conspicuously alone.[18]
In October 1973, Ecevit, who had won control of the Republican People's Party from İnönü, won an upset victory. Nevertheless, the very same problems highlighted in the memorandum re-emerged. A fragmented party system and unstable governments held hostage by small right-wing parties contributed to political polarization.[2] The economy deteriorated, the Grey Wolves escalated and intensified political terrorism as the 1970s progressed, and left-wing groups too carried out acts aimed at causing chaos and demoralization.[19] In 1980, seeking once again to restore order, the military carried out yet another coup.
In 2013, a monument was unveiled near the site of the Ziverbey Villa in Kadıköy. It commemorates the victims who were tortured inside the building following the coup.[20]
Footnotes
- ^ ISBN 0-8133-4048-9, p.283
- ^ ISBN 0-19-924958-X, p.235
- ^ a b c d e f (Zürcher 2004, p. 258)
- ^ (Ahmad 1993, p. 147)
- ^ a b (Ahmad 1993, p. 148)
- ^ "Turkish Regime Is Ousted By the Military Leaders", The New York Times, 13 March 1971, p.1
- ^ (Hale 1994, pp. 185–6)
- ^ (Ahmad 1993, pp. 148–9)
- ^ (Ahmad 1993, pp. 149–50)
- ^ (Hale 1994, p. 195)
- ^ (Ahmad 1993, pp. 150–51)
- ^ a b (Ahmad 1993, p. 152)
- ^ (Ünlü 2008, p. 228)
- ^ (Gökay 2006, p. 96)
- ^ (Ahmad 1993, p. 155)
- ^ (Ahmad 1993, p. 156)
- ^ (Zürcher 2004, p. 260)
- ^ (Zürcher 2004, pp. 259–60)
- ^ (Ahmad 1993, p. 163)
- ^ Karaca, Ekin (12 September 2013). "İşkence Mağdurlarına Saygı Anıtı Açıldı". Bianet. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
References
- Ahmad, Feroz (1993), The Making of Modern Turkey, Routledge, ISBN 0-415-07836-9
- Gökay, Bülent (2006), Soviet Eastern Policy and Turkey, 1920-1991, Psychology Press, ISBN 0-203-58106-7
- Hale, William (1994), Turkish Politics and the Military, Routledge, ISBN 0-415-02455-2
- Ünlü, Ferhat (2008), Democratic Oversight and Reform of the Security Sector in Turkey, LIT Verlag Münster, ISBN 978-3-825-80969-0
- ISBN 1-85043-399-2
External links
- İsmet İnönü interview, March 17, 1971 on YouTube