"Sol" searching: dilemmas of the Turkish left

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.