Democratic Left: The Leading Discourse of the 1970s in Turkey

As the leading actor of the Democratic Left movement, Bülent Ecevit emerged in the Republican People’s Party (CHP). Firstly, he became the leader of the CHP and then came to power in the Republic of Turkey in a short time. However, his power struggles both within his party and in Turkey was formidable. The first protuberant in his way through accessing the power was a historical personality, that is İsmet İnönü. He was the leader of the CHP when Ecevit initiated the challenge. This paper aimed to analyse the elements of Ecevit’s ideological discourse in the 1970s within the confines of arguments concerning Mithat Paşaa, Kemalism, and Marxism. In the first part, the contribution of Mithat Paşa, a moderniser in the Ottoman Empire during Abdulhamid II’s reign, to Ecevit’s movement was evaluated. Then, the relationship between Kemalism and Ecevit’s Democratic Left was discussed. In the last part, the differences and similarities between Ecevit’s leftist outlook and Marxism were identified. In the conclusion part, there was a general assessment of Ecevit and his discourse.