The Menderes Metaphor, Winter 2015

Thursday, February 5, 2015 | Download PDF in English

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has frequently compared himself with Adnan Menderes, most recently after his August 10th presidential victory. This article examines the validity of this comparison, its popularity among academic historians, and its role in facilitating Erdoğan’s success. It considers how the coup that toppled Menderes in 1960 helps explain both Erdoğan’s authoritarianism and his popularity. The author characterizes Turkish politics from 1960 to the present as a series of parentheses; the latest one being the era of civilian authoritarianism that the AKP government has ushered in, thereby ending the era of military tutelage that took shape after the 1980 coup.

CONTRIBUTOR

Nicholas Danforth

Nicholas Danforth is a PhD candidate in History at Georgetown University, US.

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