Nationalism, Democracy and the Left in Turkey

Abstract

The Turkish left, in both its ‘Social-democrat’ and ‘Communist’ manifestations, grew up in the garden of Turkish nationalism. And although in Turkey these two branches have quite different origins (unlike in many countries in Europe), the common point between them is their closeness to nationalism. In the last few years the nationalism of both social democrats and socialists has intensified, leading to a peculiar – in terms of leftist movements in most European societies – alliance between the Turkish left and the Turkish State and military. In this paper I trace the historical development of leftist politics in Turkey since the 1950s, noting both certain changes in ideology and political practice but even more strikingly much enduring continuity. The result in the present is a deep crisis of democracy in Turkey, partially produced by the Turkish left. Indeed, irrespective of European prejudices regarding Turkey's entrance into the EU, the open or secret opposition of the majority of leftist parties and groups to European integration is a key factor as to whether Turkey itself will genuinely continue its application. Why does the Turkish left resist the push by other social actors to join the EU? The answer is the close identification between the left and the institutions and ideology of Kemalism in Turkey, which has never been a liberal political practice.