"Sol" searching: dilemmas of the Turkish left
Author
Ball, Ben
Advisor
Özbudun, Ergun
Date
1999Publisher
Bilkent University
Language
English
Type
ThesisItem Usage Stats
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Abstract
This thesis examines the Turkish left throughout the republican period (1923-
1999), with a specific focus on the period after 1965. The goal of the study is to
examine why the left in Turkey has not obtained electoral success. The ultimate
conclusion is that this is due not only to external factors (the right wing, foreign
pressures, the Turkish electorate), but also to internal factors within the left wing
itself, such as electoral strategy and ideological constraints. The study also examines
the progress of extra-parliamentary groups such as militants, labor unions, and the
media in an attempt to paint a more holistic picture of the many incarnations of the
left in Turkey.