Turkish nationalism

Turkish nationalism
David Benbennick (original author) · Public domain · source
Name	Turkish nationalism
Caption	Flag associated with many Turkish nationalist movements: the national flag of the Republic of Turkey
Region	Anatolia, Balkans, Caucasus, Central Asia
Languages	Turkish
Notable people	Mustafa Kemal Atatürk; Ziya Gökalp; Enver Pasha; Talaat Pasha; Hüseyin Cahit Yalçın; Nihal Atsız; Alparslan Türkeş; Devlet Bahçeli; Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Turkish nationalism is an ideological and political movement that asserts a shared identity among Turkish-speaking peoples and promotes the interests of the Turkish nation in Anatolia and beyond. It developed through intellectual currents among Ottoman reformers, military officers, and writers, crystallized during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and became institutionalized in the Republic of Turkey. Prominent actors include statesmen, intellectuals, political parties, military figures, and cultural institutions that shaped modern Turkish identity.

Origins and historical development

Scholars trace roots to intellectual debates in Istanbul and Salonika among figures like Ziya Gökalp, Namık Kemal, Aka Gündüz, and Süleyman Nazif who engaged with ideas from French Revolution, German Romanticism, and Pan-Turkism proponents such as Jevdett Bey and Yusuf Akçura. Late 19th‑century currents emerged in journals and societies in Istanbul, Bursa, Izmir, and Thessaloniki amid crises involving the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), the Balkan Wars, and the Young Turk Revolution led by the Committee of Union and Progress. Intellectual salons, military academies, and press organs in Paris, Vienna, and Berlin linked Ottoman reformers with theorists like Ernest Renan and activists like Cevat Pasha. Debates intensified after the Treaty of Sèvres and the Armistice of Mudros, influencing figures such as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and İsmet İnönü.

Ideological currents and variants

Multiple strands developed: civic nationalism espoused by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and Ziya Gökalp; ethno-cultural Pan‑Turkism associated with Yusuf Akçura, Enver Pasha, and later Nihal Atsız; Islamist-leaning Turkish identity promoted by thinkers around Said Nursi and Necmettin Erbakan; socialist-nationalist syntheses in groups linked to Halkçı circles and military officers influenced by Kemalism; and far-right ultranationalism organized by figures such as Alparslan Türkeş. Transnational linkages connected activists to Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and émigré networks in Germany and France. Debates drew on works like Gökalp’s writings, the poetry of Mehmet Akif Ersoy, and journalism in periodicals such as Tanin and İkdam.

Role in the late Ottoman Empire and Turkish War of Independence

Organized movements in the late Ottoman period included the Committee of Union and Progress, the Teşkilât-ı Mahsusa, and nationalist circles within the Ottoman Army where officers like Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Enver Pasha, and Fethi Okyar played roles. The collapse after World War I, Allied occupations of Istanbul and Izmir, and the imposition of the Treaty of Sèvres spurred mobilization culminating in the Turkish War of Independence under commands at battles like Sakarya and Dumlupınar. Key events and documents included the Amasya Declaration, the Sivas Congress, and the Treaty of Lausanne, which established territorial sovereignty and informed the new national project embraced by leaders such as İsmet İnönü and military commanders from the Ottoman General Staff.

Republican era policies and state nationalism

The Republic under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk institutionalized reforms: language reform promoted by the Turkish Language Association; secularization measures involving the Abolition of the Caliphate and legal codifications inspired by Swiss Civil Code models; and surname law implemented during the Surname Law period. State-led modernization pursued through institutions like the Republican People’s Party, Ankara University, and the Ministry of Education, and symbols reinforced via national ceremonies at Anıtkabir. Later Republican decades saw continuities and fissures under leaders such as Turgut Özal, Bülent Ecevit, and Süleyman Demirel, and institutional interventions by the Turkish Armed Forces and the Constitutional Court.

Ethnic and minority issues

Policies toward minorities involved population exchanges like the Greco-Turkish population exchange (1923) and measures affecting Kurds, Armenians, Greeks, Jews, and other communities. Responses included assimilationist programs, language restrictions previously enforced by the Turkish Language Association, and legal frameworks such as provisions in the Turkish Constitution and laws administered by the Ministry of Interior. Contested episodes include the treatment of Armenians during World War I, debates over the Kurdish question and insurgencies linked to groups such as the Kurdistan Workers' Party and negotiations involving actors like Abdullah Öcalan, and citizenship policies affecting minorities under successive cabinets.

Political movements and parties

Major parties and movements have spanned the spectrum: the founding Republican People’s Party (CHP), the conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP), the nationalist Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the far-right Grey Wolves milieu, Islamist predecessors like the Welfare Party (Refah), and left‑wing nationalist formations. Leaders such as Alparslan Türkeş, Devlet Bahçeli, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Necmettin Erbakan, and Deniz Baykal shaped party platforms, while electoral coalitions and constitutional referenda involved institutions like the Supreme Electoral Council. Extra‑parliamentary organizations, veterans’ groups, and NGOs in cities like Ankara, Istanbul, and Bursa also mobilized nationalist sentiment.

Contemporary debates and influence in foreign policy

Contemporary debates connect nationalism to relations with Greece, Cyprus, Armenia, Syria, Iraq, Russia, United States, and members of NATO. Issues include maritime disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean, the status of Northern Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, military interventions in Syria and operations against armed groups near Kurdistan Regional Government territories, and energy diplomacy involving pipelines linked to Azerbaijan and Russia. Nationalist rhetoric appears in discourse over EU accession negotiations with the European Union, human rights dialogues involving the Council of Europe, and international law disputes referenced before bodies like the International Court of Justice. Policy orientation shifts under administrations led by figures such as Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and parties including the Justice and Development Party and alliances with the Nationalist Movement Party continue to shape Turkey’s regional posture.

Category:Political ideologies Category:Turkey