From The Ottoman Empire to The Republic of Turkey: The Military and the Center–Periphery Tension: Institutional Mediation, Political Continuity and Transformation

Authors : Olkan Senemoğlu, Şeyda Bükrücü Kazkondu

Pages : 2980-3007

Doi:10.15869/itobiad.1691062

View : 156 | Download : 369

Publication Date : 2025-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study examines the historical, political, and ideological functions of the military institution in the transition from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic of Turkey within the framework of Edward Shils’ center-periphery theory. In Shils’ approach, the center is not merely the locus of political authority, but also a societal core where sacred values, norms, and legitimacy are produced. The periphery, in contrast, refers to social segments that are distant from or opposed to this central value system. Historically, the seyfiye class and the Kapıkulu military corps in the Ottoman Empire were positioned as normative carriers of central authority. In the Republican period, the military assumed the role of ideological guardian of the new center, constructed around secularism and modernization. In this context, the study analyzes how the military structure was re-positioned as a bearer of central values in processes ranging from the Tanzimat reforms and the 1908 Constitutional Monarchy to the military coups of 1960 and 1980. Based on Shils’ proposition that “institutions which carry sacred values are the sources of the center’s legitimacy,” the study emphasizes that the military in Turkey has functioned not only as a security institution but also as a founding actor of political representation and legitimacy. Additionally, drawing on Şerif Mardin’s application of the center-periphery model to the Turkish context, the study argues that the center has been represented by secular, Western-oriented elites, while the periphery has been shaped by conservative social groups with strong religious sensitivities. This research adopts a historical-sociological analysis method and examines the ideological and institutional function of the military over different periods, based on Edward Shils’ center-periphery theory. Theoretical literature, historical documents, and secondary sources have been analyzed using an interpretive approach. The study argues that from the Ottoman era to the Republic, the military institution has acted not only as a structure with institutional continuity but also as an ideological carrier, a role which has had decisive effects on political legitimacy, representation, and democratization processes in Turkey.
Keywords : Merkez-Çevre Ilişkisi, Askerî Kurumlar, Meşruiyet, Osmanlı Modernleşmesi, Sembolik Otorite, Şerif Mardin, Edward Shils

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