Ecevitism

Ecevitism (Turkish: Ecevitçilik) is a term used for the political ideals of Bülent Ecevit, who served as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey for four terms between 1974 and 2002.^[1][2] It is highly related to the Democratic Left Party and left-wing nationalism.^[2][3]

Bülent Ecevit in 2000

When Ecevit entered politics in 1960s, there was a rise in the socialist movement worldwide. Although he supported socialist ideas, he believed they needed to be presented in a way that aligned with the Kemalist ideology of the Republican People's Party (CHP). To do this, he started the left of center (Turkish: ortanın solu) movement.^[4]

Ecevitism, which was very dominant in Turkey especially in the 1970s, still has many supporters today. The political side of this concept, whose ideological roots come from social democracy, is said to be the most dominant, and this ideology reached its peak with the left of center slogan when Ecevit was elected as the Chairman of the CHP in the 1970s.

Foreign policy

Ecevit's order for the 1974 intervention in Cyprus acquired him the title "Conqueror of Cyprus" (Turkish: Kıbrıs Fatihi).^[5] The intervention became a symbol of Ecevit's bravery and patriotism, and was recognized by many, including the military.^[6] His leadership in the Cyprus intervention, he became a national hero with strong nationalist/patriotic credentials.^[4]

Following his fourth term as the prime minister after 1999, Ecevit opposed the invasion of Iraq.^[7]

See also

• Kemalism
• Erdoğanism

References

1. Erdoğan, Necmi (1992). "A specific form of populism: Ecevit's political discourse(1965-1980)". Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis. from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
2. "Ecevit'in Sol Anlayışı". from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
3. Yirmibeşoğlu, Gözde (2007). "Trade unionism in Turkey: the self-understanding of türk-iş and its role in society and politics (1950-1982)". from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2022. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
4. Kiniklioğlu, Suat (2000-09-01). "Bülent Ecevit: The transformation of a politician". Turkish Studies. 1 (2): 1–20. doi:10.1080/14683840008721231. ISSN 1468-3849. S2CID 146420586.
5. "Bülent Ecevit'e büyük ayıp". www.cumhuriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). 2021-09-13. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
6. Ayata, Ayşe Güneş (1992). CHP (Örgüt ve İdeoloji) (in Turkish). Ankara: Gündoğan Yayınları. p. 88.
7. Balbay, Mustafa (2019-11-05). "Ecevit'in dış politikası: Önce ülkem ve bölgem!". www.cumhuriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2023-03-23.