COMPARING THE ERA OF AMERICAN McCARTHYISM TO THE POST-MODERN TURKISH MILITARY COUP OF FEBRUARY 28th, 1997

Abstract

I will first begin with a brief discussion of the concept and definition of McCarthyism in the United States of America. Secondly, I will discuss the McCarthyism Era and how it affected civil liberties within the US. Lastly, I will present a brief historical background of Turkish Military Coups during the Republican era of Turkey, and discuss the February 28 Military Coup in context of how it affected civil liberties in Turkish society. The objective of this paper is to present an analysis of the McCarthyism Era and the resultant civil liberties of the U.S.A., and to understand the Turkish version of McCarthyism and its effects on Turkish civil liberties after the military coup d'état of February 28th, 1997. To conclude, the work will provide a broader view of McCarthyism in America and contrast it with that of the divergent perspective of the alternate McCarthyism that swayed Turkey’s civil liberties.