Özet

This paper aims to evaluate Turkey’s transition to multi-party politics in 1946 with Reinhart Koselleck’s conceptual framework of the space of experience and the horizon of expectation. Koselleck defines the space of experience as the sedimented past, comprising collective memories, institutions, and political practices, while the horizon of expectation denotes the future-oriented framework shaped by past experiences in which individuals or societies anticipate and project possible transformations. In the Turkish context, the space of experience was rooted in a single-party regime of the Republican People’s Party (RPP), characterized by centralized governance, secularism, and state-led modernization. The founding of the Democrat Party (DP) in 1946 marked a pivotal moment in a pluralistic and participatory political order. This divergence between past experiences and future projections ultimately created conditions for a democratic rupture, culminating in the DP’s electoral victory in 1950. This study examines the development of the concept of liberalism in Turkey in the post– World War II era by employing a qualitative and historical research method grounded in Reinhart Koselleck’s conceptual framework. Through this lens, this paper illustrates how Koselleck’s theory provides insight into the dynamics of political transformation in 1946-1950. With the establishment of DP, the dichotomy between past and future, experience and expectation varied depending on the proximity to RPP.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Reinhart Koselleck, Turkish political history, Republican People’s Party (RPP), Democrat Parti (DP), Liberalism in Turkey

Nasıl Atıf Yapılır

Helvacı, Pelin. “Development of the Concept of Liberalism in Post-World War II Turkey: An Interpretation with Reinhart Koselleck’s Terms”. Eklektik Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 3, sy. 2 (Aralık 2025): 239-258.

Yazar : Pelin Helvacı

ORCID : 0000-0002-0779-1699

DOI : 10.61150/eklektik.2025030205

Yayınlanma tarihi :29.12.2025