TRAVELS OF PRİME MİNİSTER SÜLEYMAN DEMİREL TO EASTERN AND SOUTHEASTERN ANATOLİAN PROVİNCES İN 1968

Authors : Resul Köse
Pages : 277-301
Doi:10.33431/belgi.1569544
View : 49 | Download : 38
Publication Date : 2025-01-01
Article Type : Research Paper
Abstract :Founded in 1961, the Justice Party (AP) emerged victorious from the 1965 elections and came to power alone. Among the issues that the AP Government had to solve during its years in power, preventing the increasing Kurdish activities in the environment of freedom brought about by the 1961 Constitution and ending the debates on the neglect of the Eastern provinces ranked first. The efforts of the Kurdish circles and the left-leaning Workers\\\' Party of Turkey (TİP) to organise a certain segment of the population by using the ethnic belonging of the citizens living in the region and organising rallies further increased the interest of the government and political parties in the region. This study focuses on Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel\\\'s trips to the Eastern provinces with a large group of politicians and bureaucrats, the first of which took place on 18-24 August and the second on 16-22 September 1968. The first trip covered a total of 4,500 kilometres and the second 3,000 kilometres. Within the scope of the trip, almost all Eastern cities were visited, even down to their districts and villages. During the visits, the foundations of many investments were made or completed projects were put into service. Demirel, who mingled with the citizens during the visits and held rallies in about 70 places, said that the accumulated problems of the East would be solved as soon as possible. In addition, he advised the people not to give credence to the ideas trying to divide the country and gave messages of unity and solidarity. Archival documents, periodicals and studies in the literature were utilised in this study. Document analysis method was used in this qualitative study.
Keywords : Adalet Partisi, Süleyman Demirel, Doğu kalkınması, Kürtçülük, Doğu mitingleri.

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