Turkish Republic, 100 Years Later

A cautionary tale for the U.S.

The nation of Turkey in 2023 celebrates its 100th anniversary as a republic. Upon the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1922, Turks emerged from a war for independence against European powers and Greece. Rapidly modernizing, it evolved into a vibrant secular democracy. But today, Turkey provides a cautionary tale for the US. Both are in danger of losing their democracies.

A deeply divided Turkish society is rife with conspiracy theories, and prison terms for people spreading “disinformation,” not coincidentally including investigative reporters who’ve uncovered corruption and critics of the president. Elections are deemed unfair. Courts are not independent nor free of political interference. Tens of thousands of the president’s perceived opponents were jailed after the 2016 coup attempt on flimsy charges, some of them for life. A long-running constitutional crisis raises fears of a full-fledged autocracy. The president, in alliance with fundamentalists, promotes theocracy.

“Today’s nation is a long way from 1923’s secular state,” Zara Kahn reported for CNN. On Oct. 29, there were celebrations in Istanbul, Ankara, and across the country, but Turkey has been transformed by its longest-serving leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, far more than its founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who was “an unabashedly Western, secular, non-religious man” in the words of one Erdogan critic. And yet there were similarities. Ataturk did legitimize “one-man rule,” another critic said, the idea of a “single-man savior.”

Elmas Topcu, reporting for DW, a German news service, observed that Ataturk

“introduced a clear separation of religion and state. In the name of secularism, Ataturk also abolished religious brotherhoods and the caliphate — one reason why Islamists still harbor bitterness toward him today. Erdogan, by contrast, has supported such religious groups since he came to power, granting them many privileges. He also never speaks Ataturk’s full name. Instead, it’s “veteran Mustafa Kemal.” Perhaps that’s because “Ataturk” means “forefather of the Turks,” a concept that Erdogan is widely seen to reject. Ataturk’s liberal private life, including relationships with several women and alcohol consumption, are also despised in AKP circles.”

(UK) Guardian: “From its founding origins as a secular republic to army coups, footballing success, and the rise of Erdoğan, we look at 100 years of Turkey since 1923.” By Faisal Ali and Matt Fidler, with many historic pictures.

The piece concludes: “Erdoğan’s legacy is bitterly contested. Supporters credit him with lifting restrictions on Islam, modernizing the country’s infrastructure, and raising its global profile. His critics accuse him of harming the country’s economy, polarising Turkish politics, and presiding over a period of tightened restrictions on political freedoms.”

Al Jazeera: “Turkey is commemorating its 100-year anniversary as a republic…The low-profile affair shows the far-reaching impacts of the bloody Israel-Gaza war but also brings up uncomfortable divisions within Turkish society over the state’s secular legacy, elements of which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sought to challenge. On Sunday, Erdogan laid a customary wreath at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey’s revered founding father. “Our country is in safe hands, you may rest in peace,” he said. Al Jazeera’s Osama bin Javaid reports from Istanbul.

Is Turkish Democracy Still Salvageable?