USSR’s Policy Towards the Kurds of Turkey, 1945-1960

Abstract

This study aims to determine the policy of the USSR toward the Kurds of Türkiye between the years 1945-1960. For this purpose, data were collected from archival documents, photographs, maps, videos, and Turkish, Russian, and English works. The study tests the hypothesis that the main reason for the change in the USSR’s policy towards the Kurds of Türkiye was the victorious emergence of the USSR from World War II. It has been determined that the demands of the victorious USSR from Türkiye and the USSR-West struggle influenced the policy of the USSR towards the Kurds of Türkiye. Depending on the course of the rivalry between the USSR and the West in Iran, Greece, Iraq and Syria, the situation of benefiting from the countries has emerged in implementing the USSR’s policy towards the Kurds of Türkiye. As a result, after the demands of the USSR, the rulers of the Republic of Türkiye directed the country toward the West. Despite the USSR’s renunciation of the demands, the rulers of the Republic of Türkiye continued to remain in the Western camp. For these reasons, it has been determined that the USSR tried to take advantage of the Kurds in Türkiye and other countries against Türkiye and the West.