The Turkish right and the Republican People's Party - the case of 1977 general elections

The definition of ideological cleavage in Turkish political life through the concepts of right and left began with the orientation of the Republican People's Party to the Left of Center in the 1960s. This separation evolved into a deep polarization and social crisis that would turn into a low-intensity civil war during the 1970s. The 1977 General Elections were held in this crisis atmosphere. In this framework, the political characteristics of the period within the scope of our study have been tried to be scrutinized through the right-left divergence. This thesis aims to analyze the points of convergence and divergence in the discourses of right-wing politics in Türkiye towards the RPP in the context of the 1977 elections. In that regard, the Justice Party, the National Salvation Party, and the Nationalist Movement Party were chosen as the subjects of our study, representing different ideologies of Turkish Right. The study's scope will be limited to the parties' official discourses: election campaign documents, radio speeches of party elites, and statements of party leaders, which will be evaluated.