Alparslan Türkeş (; 25 November 1917 – 4 April 1997) was a Turkish politician, who was the founder and president of the

Nationalist Movement Party The Nationalist Movement Party, or alternatively translated as Nationalist Action Party (, MHP), is a Turkish Far-right politics, far-right, ultranationalism, ultranationalist Political parties in Turkey, political party. The group is often de ...

(MHP) and the Grey Wolves ''(Ülkü Ocakları)''. He ran the Grey Wolves training camps from 1968 to 1978. More than 600 people are said to have fallen victim of political murders by the Grey Wolves between 1968 and 1980. He represented the far-right of the Turkish political spectrum. He was and still is called ''Başbuğ'' ("Leader") by his devotees.

Early life

Türkeş was born in Nicosia, British Cyprus, to a Turkish Cypriot family in 1917. His birth name is disputed, some claiming that it is Hüseyin Feyzullah, while MHP claims it is Ali Arslan. His paternal great-grandfather had emigrated to Cyprus from Pınarbaşı,

Kayseri Kayseri () is a large List of cities in Turkey, city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri Province, Kayseri province. Historically known as Caesarea (Mazaca), Caesarea, it has been the historical capital of Cappadocia since anc ...

, Central Anatolia,

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, in the 1860s. His father, Ahmet Hamdi Bey, was from

Tuzla Tuzla (, , ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inha ...

, near Famagusta, and his mother, Fatma Zehra Hanım, was from Larnaca. However, in an interview with the scholar Fatma Müge Göçek the journalist Hrant Dink claimed that Türkeş was of Armenian descent, an orphan originally from Sivas who was later adopted by a Muslim couple from Cyprus. In 1932, with fifteen years of age, Türkeş emigrated to Istanbul, Turkey with his family. He was enrolled into the military lycée in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

in 1933 and completed his secondary education in 1936. In 1938, he joined the army and his military career began.

Racism-Turanism trials

Along with other nationalists like Nihal Atsız and Nejdet Sançar, Türkeş was court-martialed on charges of "fascist and racist activities" in 1945. He spent 10 months in prison before he was released the same year. The charges were eventually dismissed in 1947. The trial would become known as the Racism-Turanism trials.

Political career

He attained fame as the spokesman of the 27 May 1960 coup d'état against the government of Prime Minister Adnan Menderes, who was later executed after the Yassiada trial. He assumed a position as an undersecretary of the Prime Minister. However Türkeş, together with , declared their opposition to returning the power back to civilians and therefor were expelled by an internal coup within the junta ( National Unity Committee). Türkeş was sent into exile to the Turkish embassy in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

. He returned in February 1963 and together with others of the fourteen, he later joined the Republican Villager Nation Party (, CKMP). Türkeş was elected as its chairman on 1 August 1965. In 1969 the CKMP was renamed the

(, MHP). As leader of the MHP he was also the de facto leader of the Grey Wolves. This far-right movement executed political murders, which began in 1968. More than 600 people are said to have fallen victim between 1968 and 1980. Türkeş served as Deputy Prime Minister in right-wing National Front () cabinets in the 1970s. After the Military coup of 1980, he was imprisoned for more than four years and the Government demanded the death sentence for him as well as other Turkish nationalists. But in a turn of events he was released on 9 April 1985. He rejoined the political arena within the (MÇP) in 1987 and was elected to parliament representing the province of Yozgat on a ticket of the Welfare Party (RP) in 1991. In 1992 the name Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) was relaunched in exchange of the name of the MÇP and the party logo of the three crescents was presented to the public.

Ideology

Through the far-right MHP, Türkeş took the rightist views of his predecessors like Nihal Atsız, and transformed them into a powerful political force. In 1965, Türkeş released a political pamphlet titled Nine Lights Doctrine (), which formed the basis of the nationalist ideology of the CKMP. This text listed nine basic principles which were:

nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...

;

idealism Idealism in philosophy, also known as philosophical realism or metaphysical idealism, is the set of metaphysics, metaphysical perspectives asserting that, most fundamentally, reality is equivalent to mind, Spirit (vital essence), spirit, or ...

; moralism; scientism; societalism; ruralism; libertism and personalism;

progressivism Progressivism is a Left-right political spectrum, left-leaning political philosophy and Reformism, reform political movement, movement that seeks to advance the human condition through social reform. Adherents hold that progressivism has unive ...

and

populism Populism is a essentially contested concept, contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the "common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently a ...

; industrialism and technologism. Hans-Lukas Kieser notes that although Türkeş openly identified with pan-Turkism and sympathised with National Socialism as well as

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

, he was still allowed to rise through the ranks of the

Turkish Army The Turkish Land Forces () is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for Army, land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Significant campaigns since the ...

and was even allowed to move to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in order to pursue military education and cooperation within

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

. Türkeş led the vanguard of

anti-communism Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism, communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global ...

in Turkey; he was a founding member of the Counter-Guerrilla, the Turkish Gladio. Lucy Komisar
Turkey's terrorists: a CIA legacy lives on
'' The Progressive'', April 1997 He has been the spiritual leader of the Idealism Schools Foundation of Culture and Art (). His followers consider him to be one of the leading icons of the Turkish nationalist movement.

International politics

The wellbeing of the greater Turkish nation living in a so-called Turan, which according to him included Turks wherever they lived, be it in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

or elsewhere, was key concern of his political views. On 28 April 1978 he was received by Franz Josef Strauss, former minister for defense and finance in Germany and acting president of the CSU party. In 1992, Alparslan Türkeş visited

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

to support Abulfaz Elchibey during the

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

presidential election. He also had a meeting with Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the President of

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

in the 1990s.

Personal life

Türkeş was married twice and had seven children. He married Muzaffer Hanım in 1940 and had four daughters (Ayzit, Umay, Selcen and Çağrı) and one son ( Tuğrul) with her. Their marriage lasted until his wife's death in 1974. By 1976 Türkeş married Seval Hanım and had one daughter (Ayyüce) and one son ( Ahmet Kutalmış). Türkeş died of a heart attack at the age of 80 on 4 April 1997. The announcement of his death was delayed for five hours while nationwide security measures were implemented; thereafter, thousands of his supporters went to the Bayindir Hospital chanting "Leaders never die". His funeral was held in Kocatepe Mosque in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

. Türkeş's youngest son, Ahmet Kutalmış Türkeş, is a member of the Justice and Development Party and was elected as an

deputy in 2011. However, he resigned several days before the June 2015 elections, protesting the party's plans to transform the parliamentary system into a presidential one. In 2015, Türkeş's eldest son,

Tuğrul Türkeş Yıldırım Tuğrul Türkeş (born 1 December 1954) is a Turkish people, Turkish economist and politician, who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey from 28 August 2015 to 19 July 2017. He first joined the 2015 interim election government of T ...

, became the first person of Turkish Cypriot origin to be Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey. In September 2015, Türkeş made his first official visit to

Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, island of Cyprus. It is List of states with limited recognition, recognis ...

. As an independent parliamentarian, Türkeş has criticized the

(founded by his father) and the

Republican People's Party The Republican People's Party (RPP; , CHP ) is a Kemalism, Kemalist and Social democracy, social democratic political party in Turkey. It is the oldest List of political parties in Turkey, political party in Turkey, founded by Mustafa Kemal ...

for their unwillingness to compromise, which led to the November 2015 elections.

Legacy

Türkeş was a key figure in shaping Turkish nationalism and reviving Pan-Turkism from the 1940s onwards. Soon after his death in 1997, Turkish President

Süleyman Demirel Sami Süleyman Gündoğdu Demirel (; 1 November 1924 – 17 June 2015) was a Turkish people, Turkish politician, engineer, and statesman who served as the List of Presidents of Turkey, 9th President of Turkey from 1993 to 2000. He previously serv ...

stated that his passing had been a "great loss to the political life of Turkey". Similarly, Turkey's first female Prime Minister Tansu Çiller described him as a "historic individual".

Controversies

When he died, it was revealed that he had embezzled 2 trillion lira from the European Turkish Federation. The pan-Turkist group had created a secret slush fund to support the Second Chechen War and help Abulfaz Elchibey succeed in Azerbaijan. The money was formerly administered by Enver Altaylı, who had been part of the Azerbaijan coup plot. His daughters, Ayzıt and Umay Günay, quarreled over who was the rightful owner despite the fact that it was neither of them. The two appeared before the Ankara 7th High Penal Court for fraud. The indictment said that Türkeş' account in a U.K. branch of the Deutsche Bank held 575,000 DM, US$845,000, and 367,000 GBP. The court concluded that Ayzıt had withdrawn 200,000 GBP while Umay Günay had withdrawn 42,000 GBP. Ayzıt said that she had been living in the UK since 1975, and that her father opened the account in 1988, giving her complete access to it. She said that her father had instructed her to fulfill his financial obligations in support of "the cause of Turkishness" upon his death by making certain payments. Türkeş' second wife, Seval, refuted Ayzıt's claim that she had not kept the money to herself. Seval claims that she and her sons' Ayyüce and Ahmet Kutalmış share of the withdrawn 242,000 GBP is 112,355 GBP. The MHP's chairman, Devlet Bahçeli, instructed his deputies to keep mum, fearing that the scandal could lead to the dissolution of the party. The case was closed due to the

statute of limitations A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In ...

Works

# Ülkücülük; Hamle Yayınevi; İstanbul, 1995. # 12 Eylül Adaleti (!) : Savunma; Hamle Yayınevi; İstanbul, 1994. # 1944 Milliyetçilik Olayı; Hamle Yayınevi; # Türkeş'li Yıllar; Hasan Sami BOLAK # Modern Türkiye; İstanbul. # Milliyetçilik Olayları; Berikan Elektronik Basım Yayım. # 27 Mayıs ve Gerçekler; Berikan Elektronik Basım Yayım. # 27 Mayıs, 13 Kasım, 21 Mayıs ve Gerçekler; İstanbul, 1996. # Ahlakçılık; Berikan Elektronik Basım Yayım. # Etik (Ahlak Felsefesi), Etik.; Bunalımdan Çıkış Yolu; Kamer Yayınları. # Türk Edebiyatında Anılar, İncelemeler, Tenkidler, Anı-Günce-Mektup; İstanbul, 1994. # Bunalımdan Çıkış Yolu; Hamle Yayınevi; İstanbul, 1996. # Dış Meselemiz; Berikan Elektronik Basım Yayım. # İlimcilik; Berikan Elektronik Basım Yayım. # Kahramanlık Ruhu; İstanbul, 1996. # Temel Görüşler; Kamer Yayınları. # Sistemler ve Öğretiler; İstanbul, 1994. # Türkiye'nin Meseleleri; Hamle Yayınevi; İstanbul, 1996. # Yeni Ufuklara Doğru; Kamer Yayınları. # Sistemler ve Öğretiler; İstanbul, 1995

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Turkes, Alparslan 1917 births 1997 deaths Cypriot emigrants to Turkey People from Pınarbaşı, Kayseri People from Kayseri Province Turkish colonels Kuleli Military High School alumni Turkish Military Academy alumni Army War College (Turkey) alumni Leaders of political parties in Turkey Far-right politics in Turkey Deputy prime ministers of Turkey Turanists Nationalist Movement Party politicians Pan-Turkists Deputies of Ankara Turkish Cypriot politicians Deputies of Yozgat Members of the 39th government of Turkey Deputies of Adana Members of the 41st government of Turkey Republican Villagers Nation Party politicians People from Kayseri 20th-century Turkish politicians Turkish exiles Turkish political party founders People convicted in the Racism-Turanism trials Grey Wolves (organization) members Turkish revolutionaries