Turkey’s Political Leaders

Tezcan Gümüş is a Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Asia Institute, the University of Melbourne. His research interests lie in contemporary Turkish politics, politics of the Middle East and the role of elites in democratisation and democratic breakdowns. Tez has taught a number of courses on politics and international relations, and has published work in the Contemporary Islam journal. This will be his first monograph.

• List of Tables Turkish Pronunciation, Style and Spelling List of Abbreviations and AcronymsAcknowledgements Introduction 1 1950–60: Democracy under the Democrats, a New Game Built on Past Rules 2 1961–71: The Rise of Süleyman Demirel 3 1971–80: Years of Strife: The Battle between Süleyman Demirel and Bülent Ecevit 4 1983–93: Turgut Özal and the Penchant for One-Man Rule 5 1993–2002: The 1990s and the Crises of Democracy6 2002–15: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and a Democracy Dismantled 7 2015–21: President Erdoğan and the Institutionalisation of Single-Man Rule Conclusion Epilogue References Index

This book achieves the finest balance between examining the details of the rule by political leaders and providing a comprehensive analysis of the political trajectory of Turkey. Gümüş’s remarkable analysis highlights the overwhelming role that leaders have played in shaping Turkey’s political developments and will therefore be a major reference book in future debates and research.