History of Democracy and Culture of Democracy in Turkey

Name, Purpose and Participants of the Event

I entered the last day of September 2021 with the "History of Democracy and the Culture of Democracy in Turkey" Webinar. An international NGO that organizes it. Programmed as part of the 70th Anniversary event.

“Departing from the idea that efforts should be made to establish democracy, development, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in all countries of the world, 'Democracy Day' has been celebrated in September every year since 2008, according to the United Nations General Assembly.” The event aims to promote democracy and human rights.

Prof. from TED University. Dr. Şebnem Akipek Öcal and Sabancı University Faculty Member Assoc. Dr. Berk Esen attended together. The questions could be asked live but in written form. Participants were only visible to the moderator. This was the weakest point of the event.

I plan to analyze the "History of Democracy and the Culture of Democracy in Turkey" through the webinar and participant perspectives, "in order not to forget that democracy is a universal value based on the determination of people's political, economic, social and cultural systems of their own free will and fully participating in these systems".

Sabancı University Faculty Member Assoc. Dr. What did Berk Esen focus on?

Democracy; It created European democracy in three waves:

The first wave was the democratization of North West Europe, which lasted 212 years after the 1688 English Revolution, which developed in the axis of British constitutional monarchy and French republicanism.

Second wave, 20th century. Central and Southern European “authoritarian modernization democracy” with the “parliamentary model” denominator, including Spain, Portugal and Greece, as well as Turkey, Italy, Austria and Germany throughout.

The last wave is the post-communist Central and Eastern European states that developed in the 1990s. They mostly arranged their constitutions according to Western Europe.

Being one of the second wave democracies, Turkey could not consolidate and had to experience democratic collapses somehow.

First of all, the winning party experienced this because it attacked the "other" and "became the scene of successful or unsuccessful coups". In this context, we can say that the reasons for the collapse of Turkish democracy are based on three pillars:

Economic development remained incomplete: According to modernization theory, the better the economy, the better the democracy, except in countries rich in natural resources. The middle class in Turkey could not be developed at the desired level for various reasons and the country fell into the middle income trap.

There is a problem of modernization in a Muslim country: We see that the culture-based modernization approach, which is 'offered' to the public from the top by the state, brings with it some problems. Majoritarian governments and secularists, who are warm to coups, act with an understanding that is far from leading the development of democracy, or there is such a perception. Minority groups and cultural differences can be counted.

The Kurdish Question has not been resolved: Minorities have not been fully integrated into the nation-state structure. The Kurdish problem, which peaked in the 1990s, damages the unitary or holistic structure presented by the nation-state structure as the most fundamental internal security problem. A solution to this problem could not be found with a democratic approach.

Countries such as Chile and Argentina have had a better chance of developing their democracies than us, since there are no 2nd and 3rd problems among the problems listed above for Turkey. While secularization is a structure that is 'imposed' from the top, the search for a secularization from the bottom up has begun to stir in recent years. For this reason, the “Muslim country modernization problem” will disappear. However, the Kurdish question still maintains its importance. Destructive competition also remains the most important barrier to democracy.

Prof. from TED University. Dr. Evaluations by Şebnem Akipek Öcal:

Approaching democracy from the perspective of the power of the people and the rule of law from the perspective of a lawyer, the speaker takes as a basis that the individual should not be sacrificed in the name of society and the state. In this framework, it is clear that pluralist rule, in which freedom is guaranteed, is democratic, not majoritarian rule, in which it is considered legitimate to do whatever one wants because it has won an election. Unlawful actions cannot be carried out by governments or governments, by saying that we came by election, we are the national will. Only authoritarian regimes can do this. Although the 1961 Constitution is a coup constitution, it is more democratic. Another coup constitution, the 1982 Constitution, was liberated with the EU criteria.

Ancient Greece, Magna Carta and the French Revolution are milestones of democracy, and New Zealand was the first country to give women the right to vote in 1893.

A good democracy requires:

* Independent and impartial judiciary

* Rule of law and rule of law (rule of law)

* Equality

* Freedom of expression and thought (full freedom of expression)

* Open and free choices

* Transparency

* separation of powers

* Accountability

There is something equivalent to all of these, and that is APPLICATION.

On December 5, 1934, the right to vote and to be elected, which was given to women even before many western countries, could only give women 17% of their seats in the parliament in Turkey.

A citizen who knows and can express his feelings and thoughts does not depend on authority blindly. He defends his rights. It is important to value differences. A culture of coexistence should be developed.

After all, democracy is a culture and understanding. It grows in small groups. The most important living area of ​​this approach is democracy within the family. Democracy and gender equality can be learned at a young age. Individuals should have an equal voice.

According to the "World Democracy Index-2019" data, where Norway ranks first, Turkey ranks 110th out of 167 countries. It should be in the top ten. Election, pluralism, participation, culture of democracy and civil rights constitute the parameters of the research.

Questions and answers

What is the place of NGOs, what is their role in the re-establishment of democracy?

-(BE) NGOs supervise political parties. Citizens bring their demands to the political arena. It can prevent excessive use of force, rights violations, favoritism and authoritarianism (Gezi). It can make its voice heard with active participation rights.

How can authoritarian regimes be avoided and how can democracy develop?

-(BE) Authoritarian regimes are divided into civil authoritarian and military authoritarian regimes. If the political elite in a country pursues the goal of democracy, the regime becomes democratic. Strong political institutions and the demand for a democratic society by the majority of the electorate also serve this purpose.

When and how can Turkey become a state of law?

-(ŞAO) Democracy is a problem of education, culture and time. Fundamental rights, as in Norway, must be granted from day-care centre. Political indicators in Turkey are also below the economic indicators. The separation of powers, the rule of law and the impartiality and independence of judges show not when, but how to become a state of law.

-(BE)Turkey is a multicultural country. The country needs to be democratized quickly. In this, political elites (power-opposition) need to meet in the ideal of common democracy. The parliamentary system contributes to democracy. Strong political institutions, balance and supervisory institutions are other important factors in the construction of the rule of law.

A short note on “The history of democracy and the culture of democracy in Turkey”

In the democracy index report prepared by the Sweden-based V-Dem institute, Turkey was among the 30 countries with the worst democracy. On the other hand, Turkey was counted among the 10 most autocratic countries in the last 10 years. Turkey's democracy, ranked 149th out of 179 countries in V-Dem's 2021 democracy index, was discussed at the event as an institution that collapsed and needed to be repaired.

I also agree with this. However, Turkish democracy culture, travel events, some women's rights, some Kurdish issue and a blessing from the elites are handled. However, the biggest problems that threaten human rights and democracy in Turkey continue to be ignored. Turkey is still driven by a distorted idea that says if communism will come to the country, we will bring it to the country, and who are you? The will of the real people has no place in the war.

What the oppressed are seen, unless the oppressed are elite...

It doesn't matter what the silent majority thinks.

Nor does the silent majority have the strength to oppose it.

Who said the biggest caste system is in India?