Modernization, Kemalism and Democracy

It is not easy to argue that modern Western democracy was adopted as the final goal of progress in Kemalism. The pluralism of Western democracy, as understood in Kemalism, is based on class differences and class conflict. On the other hand, according to the principle of populism, there are no classes in Turkish society. Therefore, there is no need for pluralism and, in this sense, more than one party. Perhaps, at the end of the economic development process, which the Kemalist ideology aims to realize in accordance with the principle of statism, contrary to the analyzes in this direction, which see it as a prerequisite for classification and thus pluralism and democracy in Turkish society, Kemalism also aimed to prevent a classification that may occur in the economic development process, again through statism. Rather than allowing an eventual democratization, Kemalism carries principles that hinder this process. Historical facts such as the existence of the parliament and the limited pluralism within the party during the single-party period should not lead to overlooking the limiting elements in Kemalism in terms of the development of democracy.



Number of Pages: 252

Year of Printing: 2004


Language: Turkish
Publisher: Iletisim Publishing

Number of Pages: 252

First Print Year: 2004

Language Turkish