NATIONAL UNITY AND POLICY OF VIOLANCE THEMES IN THE ELECTIONS OF 14 MAY 1950

14 MAYIS 1950 SEÇİMLERİNDE ŞİDDET POLİTİKASI VE MİLLİ BİRLİK TEMALARI

Abstract

During the first phases of the multi-party regime in the history of the Republic of Turkey, the ruling party considered the opposing parties as organizations for control of the government rather than an alternative for government. Also understanding of “the party is the state, the state is the party” had surrounded both civil and military bureaucracy in the first years of the Republic. Thus there were some confusion and problems concerning the run of the state. Any opposing movement or political party was seen as a kind of enemy against the interests of the state and they had to face with some accusations. In particular, the Democrat Party’s claims of boycotting the elections and relying on the consent of people were regarded as a rebellion against the national will and a communist tactic by the government. Thus political tension between the government and opposition, which complained that there was no sphere of living in politics, reached to such a high point that threatened the national unity. The government changed for the first time according to democratic practices on 14 May 1950. However, since the Second Constitutional Era there was a tradition in the Turkish politics. Accordingly, the promises given by the opposition were to be ignored once the government was gained. This was also true and a character of the period between 1950 and 1960. This fact negatively influenced the Turkish democracy and political life. In this article, on the basis of period’s periodicals, propaganda activities of the ruling and the main opposition parties and especially the policy of violence and the national unity theme before and during the 1950 elections are evaluated. The rallies and demonstrations organized by the Democrat Party for protesting the results of 1946 Elections and the decisions made in the First and Second Congresses of the Democrat Party drove the ruling party to the idea that the opposition would attempt a kind of rebellion or practice violence. The opposition accused the ruling party of assuming antidemocratic principles and mindset. According to the opposition, the RPP was regarding all critics and opposition as a treason against the state and was trying to blame the opposition for all problems in the country. At the end of the constitutional developments in the late 19thcentury and the first multiparty trials in 1920s, the government peacefully changed for the first time in 14 May 1950 according to the choice of people and the Turkish democracy entered a new way. However, before the 1950 Elections, despite some moderate discourses and developments, there were a huge tension and conflicts between the political parties. Each party was offering the party interests as the national interests. Because of this, real national interests could not be defended and solutions for problems could not be offered by putting party concerns aside. The ruling party considered the opposition an instrument for checking not an alternative for government. Thus, any development against this understanding was regarded as hostility against the government and interests of the state. As a result, such components of democracy as free critics, tolerance and supervision became ineffective and democracy was only equated to multiparty system and free elections

Özet

Türkiye Cumhuriyet tarihinde çok partili dönemin ilk evrelerinde, iktidar partisinin muhalefet partilerini bir iktidar alternatifi olarak değil de yalnızca bir denetim aracı olarak görmesi ve cumhuriyetin ilk zamanlarındaki "parti devlettir, devlet de partidir" düşüncesinin sivil ve askeri bürokrasiyi bir sarmaşık gibi sarıp sarmalamasından doğan kafa karışıklığı çeşitli aksaklıkları da beraberinde getirmiştir. İktidar partisinin karşısındaki her muhalif hareket ya da siyasi parti devletin çıkarına göz diken bir tür düşman olarak telakki edilmiş ve bu muhalif unsurlar birtakım suçlamalara maruz kalmışlardır. Özellikle DP'nin seçimleri protesto etmek ve sine-i millete dönmek taktiklerini, milli iradeye karşı bir isyan ve komünist taktiği olarak nitelendiren iktidar ile kendisine siyasi arenada bir yaşam hakkı tanınmadığını ileri süren muhalefet arasındaki siyasi ilişkiler zaman zaman ülke içerisinde milli birliği tehdit edecek bir duruma gelmiştir. 14 Mayıs 1950 tarihinde yapılan seçimlerle iktidar ilk kez demokratik usullere göre el değiştirmiş olmasına karşın, II. Meşrutiyet'ten itibaren, muhalefetteyken söylenenlerin ve istenenlerin iktidara geldikten bir süre sonra unutulması geleneği, 1950 - 1960 döneminin de karakteristik bir özelliği olarak ortaya çıkmış ve bu durum Türk demokrasi ve siyaset hayatını olumsuz yönde etkilemiştir. Bu çalışmada, dönemin süreli yayınları temel alınarak, 1950 seçimleri öncesi ve esnasında iktidar ve ana muhalefet partileri arasında yaşanan seçim propagandası faaliyetleri çerçevesinde şiddet politikası ve buna mukabil milli birlik temaları ortaya konulmaya çalışılmıştır