Political violence in Turkey (1976–80)

Political violence in Turkey (1976–1980)

Date	1976–1980
Location	Turkey
Result	1980 Turkish coup d'état Low level insurgency started

Belligerents

Right-wing groups:

Grey Wolves (MHP)

Left-wing groups:

TKP/ML (TİKKO)

THKO

Devrimci Yol

Commanders and leaders

Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu

İbrahim Kaypakkaya †

Deniz Gezmiş

Mahir Çayan †
Others

Strength

Casualties and losses

1,296 ^[1]

2,109 ^[1]

Total 5,388 killed, affiliation of 1,983 victims unknown.^[1]

Political violence in Turkey became a challenging problem in late 1970s.^[2] The violence was even described as a "low-level war".^[3] The death squads of Turkish right-wing ultra-nationalist groups against left-wing opposition inflicted some 5,000 casualties. The wave of violence dimmed after the 1980 Turkish coup d'état.

History

Background

In 1975 Süleyman Demirel, president of the conservative Justice Party (Turkish: Adalet Partisi, AP) succeeded Bülent Ecevit, president of the social-democratic Republican People's Party (Turkish: Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, CHP) as Prime Minister. He formed a coalition called "the Nationalist Front (Turkish: Milliyetçi Cephe)" with Necmettin Erbakan's Islamist National Salvation Party (Turkish: Millî Selamet Partisi, MSP), and Alparslan Türkeş' far right Nationalist Movement Party (Turkish: Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi, MHP). The MHP used the opportunity to infiltrate state security services, seriously aggravating the low-intensity war that was waging between rival factions.^[3]

The elections of 1977 had no winner. First, Demirel continued the coalition with the Nationalist Front, but in 1978, Ecevit was able to get to power again with the help of some deputies who had shifted from one party to another. In 1979, Demirel once again became Prime Minister. At the end of the 1970s, Turkey was in an unstable situation with unsolved economic and social problems facing strike actions and partial paralysis of politics (the Grand National Assembly of Turkey was unable to elect a President during the six months preceding the coup). Since 1968–69, a proportional representation system had made it difficult to find any parliamentary majority. The interests of the industrial bourgeoisie, which held the largest holdings of the country, were opposed by other social classes such as smaller industrialists, traders, rural notables, and landlords, whose interests did not always coincide among themselves. Numerous agricultural and industrial reforms requested by parts of the middle upper classes were blocked by others.^[3] Henceforth, the politicians seemed unable to combat the growing violence in the country.

Sequence of events

Unprecedented political violence had erupted in Turkey in the late 1970s. The overall death toll of the 1970s is estimated at 5,000, with nearly ten assassinations per day.^[3] Most were members of left-wing and right-wing political organizations, then engaged in bitter fighting. The ultra-nationalist Grey Wolves, youth organisation of the MHP, claimed they were supporting the security forces.^[4] According to the British Searchlight magazine, in 1978 there were 3,319 fascist attacks, in which 831 were killed and 3,121 wounded.^[5] In the central trial against the left-wing organization Devrimci Yol (Revolutionary Path) at Ankara Military Court the defendants listed 5,388 political killings before the military coup. Among the victims were 1,296 right-wingers and 2,109 left-wingers. The others could not clearly be related.^[6] The 1978 Bahçelievler Massacre, the 1977 Taksim Square massacre with 35 victims and the 1978 Kahramanmaraş Massacre with over 100 victims are some notable incidents. Martial law was announced following the Kahramanmaraş Massacre in 14 of (then) 67 provinces in December 1978. At the time of the coup martial law had been extended to 20 provinces.

Ecevit was warned about the coming coup in June 1979 by Nuri Gündeş of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT). Ecevit then told his interior minister, İrfan Özaydınlı, who then told Sedat Celasun—one of the five generals who would lead the coup. The deputy undersecretary of the MİT, Nihat Yıldız, was demoted to the London consulate and replaced by a lieutenant general as a result.^[7]

Kurdish separatism

The right-wing groups were opposed towards Kurdish separatism. Disproportionate numbers of Kurds were part of the left-wing groups. Most of the left was also Turkish nationalist and opposed towards separatism.^[8] Before the coup of 1980 only a minority of the violence was committed by separatists, after that it increased.

References

1 2 3 Devrimci Yol Savunması (Defense of the Revolutionary Path).
↑ Zürcher, Erik J. (2004). Turkey A Modern History, Revised Edition. I.B.Tauris. p. 263. ISBN 978-1-85043-399-6.
1 2 3 4 Gil, Ata. "La Turquie à marche forcée," Le Monde diplomatique, February 1981.
↑ Turkey. Amnesty International. 1988. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-86210-156-5.
↑ Searchlight (magazine), No.47 (May 1979), pg. 6. Quoted by (Herman & Brodhead 1986, p. 50)
↑ Devrimci Yol Savunması (Defense of the Revolutionary Path). Ankara, January 1989, p. 118-119.
↑ Ünlü, Ferhat (2007-07-17). "Çalınan silahlar falcıya soruldu". Sabah (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 30 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
↑ Romano, David (2006). The Kurdish Nationalist Movement Opportunity, Mobilization and Identity. Cambridge University Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-521-68426-2.

List of modern conflicts in the Middle East

1910s	World War I Middle Eastern theatre Arab Revolt Armenian Genocide Assyrian Genocide Unification of Saudi Arabia Simko Shikak revolt Egyptian Revolution of 1919 Turkish War of Independence Greco-Turkish War Turkish–Armenian War Franco-Turkish War Revolts Mahmud Barzanji revolts

1920s	Franco-Syrian War Iraqi revolt against the British Sectarian conflict in Mandatory Palestine Adwan Rebellion Arab separatism in Khuzestan Great Syrian Revolt Sheikh Said rebellion

1930s	Ararat rebellion Ahmed Barzani revolt Simele massacre Saudi–Yemeni War Goharshad Mosque rebellion 1935–36 Iraqi Shia revolts 1935 Yazidi revolt Dersim massacre

1940s	World War II Italian bombing of Palestine Anglo-Iraqi War Syria–Lebanon Campaign Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran 1943 Barzani revolt Alwaziri coup Al-Wathbah uprising Kurdish separatism in Iran Iran crisis of 1946 Arab–Israeli conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict

1950s	Egyptian Revolution of 1952 1953 Iranian coup d'état Jebel Akhdar War Cypriot ethnic crisis Yemeni–Adenese clan violence 1958 Lebanon crisis 1958 Iraqi revolution 1959 Mosul uprising

1960s	Iraqi–Kurdish conflict Dhofar Rebellion North Yemen Civil War White Revolution Feb. 1963 Iraqi coup 8th March Syrian Revolution Nov. 1963 Iraqi coup Aden Emergency 1964 Hama riot 1966 Syrian coup d'état

1970s	Black September in Jordan 1972 North Yemen–South Yemen war Turkish invasion of Cyprus Lebanese Civil War Political violence in Turkey (1976–80) Libyan–Egyptian War Islamist uprising in Syria NDF Rebellion Iranian Revolution Consolidation of the Iranian Revolution Khuzestan conflict 1979 Qatif Uprising Grand Mosque Seizure

1980s	Sadr uprising (1980) Iran–Iraq War 1980 Turkish coup d'état Turkey-PKK conflict South Yemen Civil War 1986 Egyptian Conscription Riot 1986 Damascus bombings Mecca massacre Abu Nidal's executions

1990s	Gulf War (1990–1991) 1991 uprisings in Iraq Terror campaign in Egypt (1990s) 1994 civil war in Yemen Islamic insurgency in Saudi Arabia (2000–present) Operation Desert Fox al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen 1999 Shia uprising in Iraq

2000s	Iraq War Balochi insurgency in Iran 2004 al-Qamishli riots Houthi insurgency in Yemen Iran–Israel proxy conflict Fatah–Hamas conflict Nahr al-Bared fighting 2008 conflict in Lebanon South Yemen insurgency 2009–10 Iranian election protests

2010s	Arab Spring Yemeni Revolution Bahraini uprising Egyptian Crisis Arab Winter Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon American-led intervention Sinai insurgency Iraqi insurgency (2011–13) Iraqi Civil War (2014–present) American-led intervention Military intervention against ISIL Yemeni Crisis Yemeni Civil War

This list includes post-Ottoman conflicts (after 1918) of at least 100 fatalities each Prolonged conflicts are listed in the decade when initiated; ongoing conflicts are marked italic and conflict with most Casualties with bold.

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