The Ideological Basis of the Old (1923) and the New (2023) Turkey: the First Grand National Assembly

Abstract

Abstract The First Grand National Assembly of 1920–23 provided the ideological basis not only for the creation of Turkey in 1923, but also for the establishment of the New Turkey of 2023. The main goal of the Turkish government in 1923 was for the state to disseminate the values of the Enlightenment to society through the army. This goal was expressed in the Assembly by the First Group and its political wing, which was the Republican People’s Party (chp). On the other hand, the Second Group and its political ideas were the ideological founding fathers of the Justice and Development Party (akp). This article argues that both the chp and the akp share a common ground which is the Protestant values of the Enlightenment. It also claims that during the akp era, the blending of Islam with the Protestant values of capitalism has transformed the former into Protestant Islam.