Conservatism in Turkey ( Turkish: ''Muhafazakârlık'') is a national variant of

conservatism Conservatism is a Philosophy of culture, cultural, Social philosophy, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, Convention (norm), customs, and Value (ethics and social science ...

throughout

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

reflected in the agendas of many of the country's political parties, most notably the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP), which describes its prevailing ideology as conservative democracy. Elements of Turkish conservatism are also reflected in most parties situated on the political right, including 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). In Turkey, it is often referred to as ''Türk tipi muhafazakârlık'' (Turkish-style conservatism). Prince kemaleddin

Turkish conservatism is distinct from conservatism in other countries in that it is predominantly at odds with the established state structure, tending to be critical of the founding principles of the Turkish Republic whereas most forms of conservatism elsewhere tend to endorse the principle values of the state. Ideals predominantly at odds with conservatives, such as

secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...

statism In political science, statism or etatism (from French, ''état'' 'state') is the doctrine that the political authority of the state is legitimate to some degree. This may include economic and social policy, especially in regard to taxation ...

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 ...

, and the existence of a

social state A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equitab ...

are enshrined within the

Constitution of Turkey The Constitution of Turkey, formally known as the Constitution of the Republic of Türkiye (), and informally as the Constitution of 1982 (), is Turkey's fundamental law. It establishes the organization of the government, and sets out the pr ...

. Turkish conservatism is rivalled mainly by Kemalism, based on the ideology of Turkey's founding president

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...

, who brought about several social reforms influenced by a progressive pro-western agenda following the collapse of the conservative

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 ...

. However, Kemalism has also been described by some as a form of

conservative nationalism National conservatism is a nationalism, nationalist variant of conservatism that concentrates on upholding National identity, national and cultural identity, communitarianism and the public role of religion. It shares aspects of traditionalist c ...

as it endorses and safeguards the established traditions of the Turkish state. Conservatism in Turkey tends to be inspired and strongly influenced by

political Islam Political Islam is the interpretation of Islam as a source of political identity and action. It advocates the formation of state and society according to (the advocates understanding of) Islamic principles, where Islam serves as a source of poli ...

, with conservative values arising from local orders, Islamic '' tarikats'', and village traditions. Turkish conservatism therefore tends to be more socially conservative,

religious Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...

, and in favour of strong

centralised Centralisation or centralization (American English) is the process by which the activities of an organisation, particularly those regarding planning, decision-making, and framing strategies and policies, become concentrated within a particular ...

leadership, therefore often being characterised as authoritarian by critics. Turkish conservatives also tend to show greater approval to the return of Ottoman culture as opposed to the Western-inspired culture and values originating from the Republic era. Recent surveys continuously show that conservatism in Turkey enjoys strong political support, predominantly in the central Anatolia region and rural areas where village and local traditions remain strictly enforced. In 2012, only 8.6% of Turks described themselves as entirely non-conservative as opposed to 12.6% in 2006. Research by Kadir Has University showed that 39.2% of Turks described themselves as conservative in 2013, falling to 20.7% describing themselves as conservatives in 2015.

List of conservative political parties in Turkey

Current

* Justice and Development Party *

* Great Unity Party *

Felicity Party The Felicity Party (, SAADET) is an Islamism, Islamist Turkey, Turkish political party. It was founded in 2001, and mainly supported by conservative Muslims in Turkey. It was founded on 20 July 2001 after the Virtue Party (Turkey), Virtue Party ...

Good Party The Good Party (Turkish language, Turkish: ''İYİ Parti'') is a Turkish nationalism, nationalist, Kemalism, Kemalist and Conservatism, conservative List of political parties in Turkey, political party in Turkey, established on 25 October 2017 b ...

* Democrat Party * Future Party *

Democracy and Progress Party The Democracy and Progress Party (, DEVA) is a Turkish political party founded on 9 March 2020 under the leadership of Ali Babacan, a former economy minister under the AKP. The official abbreviation is "DEVA" (''Remedy'' in Turkish) accordi ...

* Motherland Party * True Path Party * Nation Party * Homeland Party * Free Cause Party *

New Welfare Party The New Welfare Party (, YRP) is an Islamist and ultraconservative political party in Turkey, founded on 23 November 2018. The party positions itself as the successor to the Welfare Party ( Turkish: ''Refah Partisi''), which was a prominent Isla ...

Major historical parties

* Democrat Party * Justice Party *

National Salvation Party The National Salvation Party (, MSP) was an Islamist political party in Turkey, founded on 11 October 1972 as the successor of the banned National Order Party (''Millî Nizam Partisi'', MNP). The party was formed by a core group of working cadres ...

* True Path Party * Motherland Party * Welfare Party * Virtue Party

References

{{Europe topic , Conservatism in Political history of Turkey

List of conservative political parties in Turkey

Current

Major historical parties

See also

Further reading

References