Spring 1923: Turkey’s failed constitutional moment

Abstract

This paper focuses on a specific historical period that preceded the proclamation of the Turkish Republic and tries to re-interpret its meaning for the development of liberal democracy in Turkey. Arguably, this era, which corresponds to the political events that took place roughly in the Spring of 1923, has not attracted the attention that it deserves. The article will assert that the Spring of 1923 has a unique meaning in the political development of Turkey due to the fact that it was one of the few genuine constitutional moments ever experienced until the present day. Although this era carried great potential in the sense of creating a suitable ground for the establishment of a new political regime through a considerable degree of inclusiveness, this ground of collective decision-making was soon lost. Accordingly, the interpretation presented in this article holds that the proclamation of the republic in October 1923 was not the product of the success of this constitutional moment but rather it was the product of its failure.