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A Rebellious Generation: Anti-Imperialist Momentum in Turkey, 1959-1971
Abstract
The tumultuous period of the Republic of Turkey between 1959 and 1971 included two coup d’états and two unsuccessful attempted coup d’états. The 1960s in Turkey have unique aspects when compared with Western European and North American experiences. Turkey fits into the anti-imperialist trend in Third World countries in the call for full independence during the tense period of the Cold War. Yet, the Turkish 1968 also demonstrates some regional Middle Eastern phenomena such as the toppling of the political establishment via military takeover. Importantly, this paper shows that how young students at Turkish universities departed over the course of time from their elder leaders in the Old Left, expressing an anti-authoritarian spirit in addition to anti-imperialism. Finally, women activist rebelled against the dominant attitudes of the fellow male activists in terms of decision-making processes and sexual liberty. This paper focuses on certain symbolic incidents and figures such as occupation of universities by students, protesting the 6th American fleet and NATO in the Bosporus, armed resistance with the gendarmes in the countryside and bank robbery, and smuggling into Palestine to fight the Israeli forces. During the evolution of Kemalist generation into all kinds of belated leftist ideas and ideologies this paper elaborates how youth surpassed in their radical activism with the cautious and calculating elders in Marxist-Leninist camp in Turkey when there was parliamentarian experiment and trade union solidarity with shantytowns in urban centers of Turkey going on as well as the expectation and cooperation with some military figures for a potential leftist military takeover. This paper projects the modest but significant moment of anti-authoritarian attitude and limited counter-culture of the rebellious generation of Turkish Sixties.
Discipline
History
Geographic Area
Turkey
Sub Area
World History