Ecevitism () is a term used for the political ideals of

Bülent Ecevit Mustafa Bülent Ecevit (; 28 May 1925 – 5 November 2006) was a Turkish politician, statesman, poet, writer, scholar, and journalist. He served as the Prime Minister of Turkey four times between 1974 and 2002. He served as prime minister in 197 ...

, who served as the

Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey The prime minister of Turkey, officially the prime minister of the Republic of Turkey (), was the head of government of the Republic of Turkey from 1920 to 2018, who led a political coalition in the Turkish Parliament and presided over the ca ...

for four terms between 1974 and 2002. It is highly related to the Democratic Left Party and

left-wing nationalism Left-wing nationalism or leftist nationalism (in certain contexts also called popular nationalism by those who do not adhere to the left-right plane, or in contrast to conservative nationalism) is a form of nationalism which is based upon n ...

. When Ecevit entered politics in the 1960s, there was a rise in the socialist movement worldwide. Although he supported socialist ideas, he believed they needed to be presented in a way that aligned with the Kemalist ideology of the Republican People's Party (CHP). To do this, he started the left of center () movement. Ecevitism, which was very dominant in

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 ...

especially in the 1970s, still has many supporters today. The political side of this concept, whose ideological roots come from

social democracy Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...

, is said to be the most dominant, and this ideology reached its peak with the left of center slogan when Ecevit was elected as the Chairman of the CHP in the 1970s. The left of center slogan has been used by

right wing Right-wing politics is the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position b ...

politicians in Turkey with the slogan "Ortanın solu, Moskova'nın yolu", meaning "Left of center, the way to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

", accusing the

center-left Centre-left politics is the range of left-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. Ideologies commonly associated with it include social democracy, social liberalism, progressivism, and green politics. Ideas commonl ...

politician of

communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...

Foreign policy

Ecevit's order for the 1974 invasion of Cyprus acquired him the title "Conqueror of Cyprus" (). The invasion became a symbol of Ecevit's bravery and patriotism, and was recognized by many, including the military. Due to his leadership in the Cyprus invasion, he became a national hero with strong nationalist/patriotic credentials. Following his fourth term as the prime minister after 1999, Ecevit opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

References

{{Reflist Eponymous political ideologies Kemalism Left-wing nationalism Politics of Turkey Social democracy

Foreign policy

See also

References