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The Military coup in Turkey, 1980 was a coup d'etat made on September 12, 1980 by General Kenan Evren, head of the general staff and also chief of Counter-Guerrilla^{[citation needed]}, the Turkish branch of Gladio^{[citation needed]}. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... A General is an officer of high military rank. ... Kenan Evren Kenan Evren (born 17 July 1917 in AlaÅŸehir, Manisa), is a former Turkish general, the leader of the coup detat on 12 September 1980 and the 7th president of Turkey. ... The Chief of the Turkish General Staff is a military person of rank general, who presides the general staff of the armed forces - army, navy, air force - of Turkey. ... This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... Operation Gladio Operation Gladio was a clandestine stay-behind operation sponsored by the CIA and NATO to counter communist influence in Italy, as well as in other European countries. ...

Kenan Evren became the leader of the new junta, named National Security Council, and dissolved the parliament and the government. According to a widely believed story in Turkey, he and his team of force commanders were named "our boys" in the CIA headquarters after the coup.^[1] General Augusto Pinochet (sitting) as head of the newly established military junta in Chile, September 1973. ... The National Security Council (Milli Güvenlik Kurulu (MGK) in Turkish) is a powerful body that unites the top civilian and military leaders, and issues ‘recommendations’ to the government upon all matters vaguely defined as touching on the security of the state of the Turkish Republic. ... The Grand National Assembly (Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi in Turkish) is the unicameral parliament of Turkey which carries out legislative functions. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ...

Following bloody years of turmoil and a deliberate strategy of tension followed by Counter-Guerrilla and the Grey Wolves, the military took power claiming to end the chaos. Thousands of people were imprisoned after the coup, generally from the intellectual strata of the community. After having used the Grey Wolves, Kenan Evren also decided to imprison hundreds of them for their role during the strategy of tension; however, many of them were later released in exchange for their fight against the PKK during the 1980s. A strategy of tension (Italian: ) is a way to control and manipulate public opinion using fear, propaganda, disinformation, psychological warfare, agents provocateurs, false flag terrorism actions and even terroristic actions. ... Grey Wolves (Bozkurtlar in Turkish) is the youth organization of the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi, MHP), an ultra-nationalist[1] movement founded by Alparslan TürkeÅŸ in 1969. ... The Congress for Freedom and Democracy in Kurdistan (Kadek), formerly known as the Kurdistan Workers Party (Kurdish: Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan, PKK ) was one of several militant groups fighting for the creation of an independent Kurdish state in southern Turkey, northern Iraq, Northern Syria and western Iran. ...

The people suffered heavily under strict leadership. Under the generals' leadership's guidance a new constitution was established diminishing civil liberties, and increasing the role of the National Security Council. In 1983 new elections were held, relinquishing the power to civilian rule. The National Security Council (Milli Güvenlik Kurulu (MGK) in Turkish) is a powerful body that unites the top civilian and military leaders, and issues ‘recommendations’ to the government upon all matters vaguely defined as touching on the security of the state of the Turkish Republic. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

According to the acknowledged Turkish scholar Ergun Özbudun "The 1983 Turkish transition is almost a textbook example of the degree to which a departing military regime can dictate the conditions of its departure (…)" (Özbudun, Ergun: Contemporary Turkish Politics: Challenges to Democratic Consolidation, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000; p. 117).

Context

The 1980 coup took place in a context of struggle and clashes between the left and the right-wing. In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms which refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially in the American sense of the word), or with opposition... In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ...

A first military coup had happened on May 27, 1960, ending up with the execution of Prime minister Adnan Menderes and two of his cabinet members Fatin Rüştü Zorlu and Hasan Polatkan. The "junta" returned the power to civilians in October 1961, a period succeeded by parliamentary instability. The Military coup in Turkey, On 27 May 1960. ... May 27 is the 147th day (148th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 218 days remaining. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Adnan Menderes Adnan Menderes (1899 - September 17, 1961) turkish statesman and Prime minister between 1950–1960. ... Fatin Rüştü Zorlu (1910 - 1961) was a Turkish diplomat and politician. ... Hasan Polatkan (1915 - 1961) was a Turkish politician and Minister of Labor and Finance, who was executed by hanging after the coup détat in 1960 along with two other cabinet members. ... General Augusto Pinochet (sitting) as head of the newly established military junta in Chile, September 1973. ...

A second coup, dubbed "Coup by Memorandum", took place on March 12, 1971, leading to Bülent Ecevit's exercise of power. The NATO stay-behind army Counter-Guerrilla, related to the Millî İstihbarat Teşkilâtı (MIT), the Turkish intelligence agency, engaged itself in domestic terror and killed hundreds. As in Italy, it engaged itself in a strategy of tension^[2] The Coup by memorandum is the second military coup of Turkey carried out on March 12, 1971. ... March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in leap years). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... Mustafa Bülent Ecevit (May 28, 1925–November 5, 2006; pronounced ), was a Turkish politician, poet, writer and journalist. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation[2] (NATO; French: ; also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance, the Western Alliance, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is a military alliance established by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... The Millî Ä°stihbarat TeÅŸkilatı (Turkish for National Intelligence Organization) is the central intelligence agency of the Republic of Turkey. ... A strategy of tension (Italian: ) is a way to control and manipulate public opinion using fear, propaganda, disinformation, psychological warfare, agents provocateurs, false flag terrorism actions and even terroristic actions. ...

Policies 1970-1980

On the international scale, Bülent Ecevit also decided the invasion of Cyprus to counter a coup supported by the Regime of the Colonels. ^{[citation needed]} Mustafa Bülent Ecevit (May 28, 1925–November 5, 2006; pronounced ), was a Turkish politician, poet, writer and journalist. ... Combatants TRNC Turkey Cyprus Greece The Turkish invasion of Cyprus, (also known as the 1974 Cyprus War; referred to as the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation by Turkey) was a consequence of tensions between the governments of Greece and Turkey, and of internal unrest within Greece. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Right-wing and left-wing armed conflicts

Main article: Right-wing and left-wing armed conflicts (Republic of Turkey)

Alparslan Türkeş, a member of the Counter-Guerrilla (Turkish branch of NATO's stay-behind army, known as Gladio^{[citation needed]}), founded the right-wing Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) in 1969 , whose youth organizations became known as the Grey Wolves. Alparslan TürkeÅŸ (1917 in Nicosia, Cyprus - April 5, 1997 in Ankara, Turkey) was a Turkish extremist and politician. ... This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation[2] (NATO; French: ; also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance, the Western Alliance, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is a military alliance established by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Emblem of Gladio, Italian branch of the NATO stay-behind paramilitary organizations. ... MHP symbol The Nationalist Movement Party (Can also be translated as Nationalist Action Party) (Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi (MHP)), is a far-right nationalist political party in Turkey. ... Grey Wolves (Bozkurtlar in Turkish) is the youth organization of the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi, MHP), an ultra-nationalist[1] movement founded by Alparslan TürkeÅŸ in 1969. ...

The overall death-toll of the terror of the 1970s is estimated at 5 000, with right-wing and terrorism responsible for the most part. According to statistics published by the British Searchlight magazine (n°47, May 1979, p.6), in 1978 they were 3 319 fascist attacks, in which 831 were killed and 3 121 wounded. The 1977 Taksim Square massacre, the 1978 Bahçelievler Massacre and the 1978 Kahramanmaraş Massacre testify to a serie of attacks. Searchlight is a British publication which describes itself as an international anti-fascist magazine, and publishes material critical of far-right political parties. ... Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... The Bahçelievler incident also known as Bahçelievler Massacre, is the name given to the events of October 9, 1978 in Bahçelievler, Ankara, Turkey, when seven university students, members of the Turkish Workers Party, were assassinated by neo-fascists including Grey Wolves leader Abdullah Çatlı, and Haluk K... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... A view from KahramanmaraÅŸ (Around Intersection of Kibris Meydani and Trabzon Caddesi) KahramanmaraÅŸ is the capital city of KahramanmaraÅŸ Province in southeastern Turkey. ...

According to Le Monde diplomatique, Grey Wolves member Abdullah Çatlı "is reckoned to have been one of the main perpetrators of underground operations carried out by the Turkish branch of the Gladio organisation^{[citation needed]} and had played a key role in the bloody events of the period 1976-1980 which paved the way for the military coup d’état of September 1980. As the young head of the far-right Grey Wolves militia, he had been accused, among other things, of the murder of seven left-wing students." He was seen in the company of Avanguardia Nazionale founder Stefano Delle Chiaie, while touring Latin America and on a visit to Miami in September 1982.^[3] The monthly publication Le Monde diplomatique (nicknamed Le Diplo by its French readers) offers analysis and opinion on politics, culture, and current affairs. ... Abdullah Çatlı (1956—November 3, 1996) was a Turkish nationalist and neofascist activist, who became in 1978 the second responsible, after colonel Alparslan Türkes, of the Grey Wolves, a movement of the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party(Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi-MHP) [1]. Member of Gladio stay-behind NATO clandestine... Operation Gladio Operation Gladio was a clandestine stay-behind operation sponsored by the CIA and NATO to counter communist influence in Italy, as well as in other European countries. ... The National Vanguard (Avanguardia Nazionale) was a far right movement formed as a breakaway group from the Italian Social Movement by Stefano Delle Chiaie in 1960. ... Stefano Delle Chiaie (born 1934) was a figure on the far right of Italian politics who went on to become a wanted man worldwide. ...

On February 1, 1979 in Istanbul, Grey Wolves member Mehmet Ali Ağca murdered Abdi İpekçi, editor of the moderate left-wing newspaper Milliyet. February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the Smashing Pumpkins song, see 1979 (song). ... Istanbul (Turkish: Ä°stanbul, Greek: , historically known in English as Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. ... Mehmet Ali AÄŸca (born January 9, 1958) is a Turkish assassin, who shot and wounded Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981. ... Abdi Ä°pekçi was the editor-in-chief of the major Turkish national newspaper Milliyet. ... Milliyet is a Turkish left-wing newspaper. ...

The Coup

A paralyzed parliament and increasing death-toll prompted a coup in September 1980, led by General Kenan Evren. The US-support of this coup was acknowledged by the CIA Ankara station chief Paul Henze. After the government was overthrown, Henze cabled Washington, saying, "our boys have done it."^{[citation needed]} At the time they were some 1,700 Grey Wolves organizations in Turkey, with about 200,000 registered members and a million sympathisers. Colonel Türkeş and other Grey Wolves were arrested after the coup. In its indictment of the MHP in May 1981, the Turkish military government charged 220 members of the MHP and its affiliates for 694 murders.^[4] The Turkish military coup of 1980 was a military coup made by the highest ranking commanders of the Turkish Army on September 12, 1980. ... Kenan Evren Kenan Evren (born 17 July 1917 in AlaÅŸehir, Manisa), is a former Turkish general, the leader of the coup detat on 12 September 1980 and the 7th president of Turkey. ... Grey Wolves (Bozkurtlar in Turkish) is the youth organization of the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi, MHP), an ultra-nationalist[1] movement founded by Alparslan TürkeÅŸ in 1969. ...

However, Grey Wolves emprisonned members were offered release if they accepted to fight the Kurdish minority and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).^[5] as well as the ASALA ("Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia"). They then went on to fight, with Counter-Guerrilla, Kurds, killing and torturing thousands in the 1980s, and also carrying false flag attacks in which the Counter-Guerrilla attacked villages, dressed up as PKK fighters, and raped and executed people randomly.^[6] The dirty war had a toll of 37 000 victims.^[7] The fact that Counter-Guerrilla had engaged in torture was confirmed by Talat Turhan, a former Turkish general. According to a December 5, 1990 article by the Swiss Neue Zürcher Zeitung, the Counter-Guerrilla had their headquarters in the building of the US DIA military secret service.^[8] In addition, they carried out operations to assassinate the leader squad of ASALA, Hagop Hagopian, in which they succeeded on April 28, 1988. Kurds are one of the Iranian peoples and speak Kurdish, a north-Western Iranian language related to Persian. ... One of the PKK logos (used 1995-2000) The Kurdistan Workers Party (Kurdish: or PKK, Turkish: ), also known as KADEK and Kongra-Gel, is a militant group, whose stated aim is to create a democratic and independent Kurdish state in a territory — which it claims as Kurdistan — that consists of... The Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) is a defunct terrorist group. ... False flag operations are covert operations conducted by governments, corporations, or other organizations, which are designed to appear as if they are being carried out by other entities. ... The Congress for Freedom and Democracy in Kurdistan (Kadek), formerly known as the Kurdistan Workers Party (Kurdish: Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan, PKK ) was one of several militant groups fighting for the creation of an independent Kurdish state in southern Turkey, northern Iraq, Northern Syria and western Iran. ... This article especially refers to the Argentine dirty war; however, the term has been used in other contexts, for example in Turkey; see also lead years Dirty War (in Spanish: ) refers to a program of a state-sponsored illegal repression on domestic citizens in response to strikes, social unrest, violence... Zürcher Zeitung, No. ... The Defense Intelligence Agency, or DIA, is a major producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense. ... April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 247 days remaining. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

According to a widely believed story in Turkey, Paul Henze, former chief of the CIA station in Turkey, declared the following day to his colleagues in Washington: "Our boys have done it!"^[1] US president Carter would comment much later that "before the September 12 movement (sic), Turkey was in a critical situation with regard to its defences. After the invasion of Afghanistan and the overthrow of the Iranian monarchy, the movement for stabilisation in Turkey came as a relief to us.".^[9] The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... James Earl Jimmy Carter, Jr. ... A Soviet soldier on guard in Afghanistan in 1988. ... Protestors take to the street in support of Ayatollah Khomeini. ...

Aftermath

In 1982, a new constitution is adapted; and one year later, with the elections, civilian politics is restored. However, the constitution referendum and the elections didn't take place in a free and competitive setting. Many political leaders of pre-coup era (including Süleyman Demirel, Bülent Ecevit, Alparslan Türkeş and Necmettin Erbakan) had been banned from politics, and all new parties needed to get the approval of the National Security Council in order to participate in the elections. Only 3 parties, two of which were actually created by the ruling military regime were permitted to contest. Süleyman Demirel Süleyman Demirel (born November 1, 1924) is a Turkish politician who served as prime minister seven times and was the 9th President of Turkey. ... Mustafa Bülent Ecevit (May 28, 1925–November 5, 2006; pronounced ), was a Turkish politician, poet, writer and journalist. ... Alparslan TürkeÅŸ (1917 in Nicosia, Cyprus - April 5, 1997 in Ankara, Turkey) was a Turkish extremist and politician. ... Necmettin Erbakan Prof. ...

Out of the 1983 elections came one-party governance under Turgut Özal's Motherland Party, which combined a globally-oriented economic program with conservative social values. Under Ozal, the economy boomed, converting towns like Gaziantep from small provincial capitals into mid-sized economic boomtowns. Turgut Özal was a Turkish political leader, Prime minister and 8th president of Turkey. ... The Motherland Party of Turkey, (Turkish: Anavatan Partisi or ANAP) is a political party in Turkey. ... 19th century Åžire Bazaar in Gaziantep, whose restoration has been nearly completed (www. ...

Upon the retirement of President Kenan Evren, the leader of the 1980 coup, Ozal was elected president, leaving parliament in the hands of the feckless Yildirim Akbulut, and then, in 1991, to Mesut Yılmaz. Yılmaz redoubled Turkey's economic profile and renewed its orientation toward Europe. But political instability followed as the host of banned politicians reentered politics, fracturing the vote, and the Motherland Party became increasingly corrupt. Ozal died of a heart attack in 1993 and Süleyman Demirel was elected president. Yildirim Akbulut is a former prime minister of Turkey, who was member of the Anavatan Partisi (Motherland Party). ... Mesut Yılmaz (born 1947) is the former leader of Anavatan Partisi (ANAP, the Motherland Party) and the Turkish prime minister in the 1990s. ... World map exhibiting the location of Europe. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

References

Emblem of Gladio, Italian branch of the NATO stay-behind paramilitary organizations. ... The monthly publication Le Monde diplomatique (nicknamed Le Diplo by its French readers) offers analysis and opinion on politics, culture, and current affairs. ... Edward S. Herman is an economist and media analyst with a specialty in corporate and regulatory issues as well as political economy and the media. ... Milliyet is a Turkish left-wing newspaper. ... Emblem of Gladio, Italian branch of the NATO stay-behind paramilitary organizations. ... Le Figaro (English: ) is one of the leading French morning daily newspapers. ... The ETH Zurich, often called Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, is a science and technology university in the city of Zurich, Switzerland. ... This article is on the neighborhood of İstanbul. ... Cumhuriyet (literally republic in Turkish) is an intellectual center-left Turkish daily newspaper founded on May 7, 1924 by journalist Yunus Nadi Abalıoğlu. ... July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Grey Wolves
• Military coup in Turkey, 1960
• Military coup in Turkey, 1971
• Operation Gladio
• National Security Council (Turkey)
• Taksim Square massacre
• Bahçelievler Massacre
• Kahramanmaraş Massacre
• Turkish Armed Forces and Kemalism
• Multi-Party Period of Republic of Turkey