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| 1960 coup d'état | |
|---|---|
| Name | 1960 coup d'état |
| Date | 27 May 1960 |
| Place | Ankara, Istanbul, İzmir |
| Result | Overthrow of Adnan Menderes administration; establishment of National Unity Committee |
| Combatant1 | Republic of Turkey under Democrat Party |
| Combatant2 | Turkish Armed Forces |
| Commander1 | Adnan Menderes; Fatin Rüştü Zorlu; Mehmet Şükrü Saracoğlu |
| Commander2 | Cemal Gürsel; Faruk Gürler; Alparslan Türkeş |
1960 coup d'état was a military takeover in the Republic of Turkey that ousted the Democrat Party leadership on 27 May 1960. Orchestrated by elements of the Turkish Armed Forces, the action deposed Prime Minister Adnan Menderes and President Celâl Bayar, installed the National Unity Committee, and led to trials that transformed Turkish politics and constitutional law. The event marked the first successful post-World War II intervention by Turkish military officers in Turkish political life and reverberated through relations with NATO and Cold War actors.
By the late 1950s the Democrat Party had governed Turkey since 1950 after defeating the Republican People's Party in national elections. Economic difficulties stemming from balance-of-payments problems, declining agricultural prices, and reliance on Marshall Plan-era aid strained relations with the Istanbul Stock Exchange and international creditors. Domestically, tensions increased between the Democrat Party leadership—led by Adnan Menderes, Celâl Bayar, and Fatin Rüştü Zorlu—and opposition figures such as İsmet İnönü, Bülent Ecevit, and journalists affiliated with publications like Ulus and Cumhuriyet. The political climate involved clashes over press freedoms, legal prosecutions, and deployments of gendarmerie and police forces in provinces like Smyrna and Anatolia.
Economic strains were compounded by foreign policy disputes involving United Kingdom and United States aid negotiations, and by strategic calculations within NATO during the Cold War. The Democrat Party response to parliamentary opposition included emergency measures, restrictions on the press, and controversial actions against unions and student organizations at institutions such as Istanbul University and Ankara University. Internal dissent within the Turkish Armed Forces featured officer groups influenced by figures like Alparslan Türkeş and generals concerned with civil unrest in provinces such as Konya and Samsun. High-profile incidents—mass arrests of journalists, the Yassıada trials precursor detentions, and the imposition of state of emergency decrees—heightened tensions among politicians including İsmet İnönü, Fahri Korutürk, and intellectuals associated with Orhan Veli Kanık and Nazım Hikmet circles. Fissures within the Democrat Party elite and declining support from rural constituencies in Aegean Region districts signaled vulnerability.
On 27 May 1960 a cohort of mid-ranking and senior officers executed a coordinated operation centered in Ankara, Istanbul, and İzmir. Units under commanders such as Cemal Gürsel and supported by officers aligned with Alparslan Türkeş secured key installations: the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, radio stations including TRT predecessor facilities, and airports at Esenboğa Airport and Yeşilköy Airport. Detentions targeted President Celâl Bayar, Prime Minister Adnan Menderes, and cabinet members including Fatin Rüştü Zorlu and Mehmet Şükrü Saracoğlu. The plotters established the National Unity Committee as the ruling junta, issued proclamations dissolving the cabinet and restricting political activity, and imposed curfews across provinces such as İzmir and Bursa. The operation drew on precedent from earlier interventions in Ottoman collapse-era politics and was facilitated by communication with Western military attaches from United States Department of Defense and NATO headquarters.
The junta relocated key political figures to islands including Yassıada and imposed military tribunals that later became known as the Yassıada trials. Arrests encompassed Democrat Party deputies, ministers, and municipal officials from cities like Istanbul and Ankara. The National Unity Committee announced plans for constitutional reform, temporary governance under military leadership, and eventual restoration of civilian rule. Public reactions varied: demonstrations in İzmir and conservative rural districts expressed support for order, while protests in Istanbul University precincts and labor centers showed opposition. Economic measures targeted inflation and foreign-exchange controls involving institutions such as the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey.
The coup precipitated the drafting of a new constitution that would shape the Republic of Turkey's institutional framework, influence the role of the Turkish Armed Forces in politics, and affect parties including the Justice Party and the Republican People's Party (CHP). Trials of Adnan Menderes, Fatin Rüştü Zorlu, and Hasan Polatkan culminated in executions and long-term political repression that polarized elites such as İsmet İnönü and rising leaders like Süleyman Demirel and Bülent Ecevit. Socially, the events catalyzed debates among intellectuals linked to Istanbul University, writers from Varlık, and labor activists in unions connected to industrial centers like İzmit. The coup reshaped Turkey’s secular-religious balance, affected policies toward groups in Southeastern Anatolia, and altered trajectories for political Islamists who later associated with figures like Necmettin Erbakan.
Foreign reactions involved governments and organizations including United States, United Kingdom, NATO, and the United Nations. Diplomatic correspondence between Ankara and embassies from Washington, D.C. and London addressed concerns over NATO cohesion and Turkish commitments on bases in İncirlik Air Base and regional cooperation during the Cold War. Some Western capitals expressed cautious support for stability, while United Nations representatives and human-rights advocates raised alarms about trials and executions. The coup affected bilateral aid programs administered by agencies like the United States Agency for International Development and required renegotiation of economic packages with institutions tied to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
Category:Coups d'état in Turkey Category:1960 in Turkey