A different modernization experience: Turkish modernization and the army

Abstract

This study will concern itself with Turkish political development from the early nineteenth century up to the present time: Firstly, the term modernization will be explained and the historical roots of Turkish modernization will be examined. Then, it will be concerned with the development of Turkish democracy. Also, the late Ottoman Period will be looked at very briefly, because Turkish modernization began in the Ottoman Empire.

             The central institution in the process of Turkish modernization was the army. After the abolition of the Janissary in 1826, the military became one of the most Westernized elements in the Empire. Liberal ideas first spread among the military officers and military colleges became the centre of secret political organizations in the mid-nineteenth century. Turkish military elites have always had the aim of representing the new values, behavior patterns and life styles since the late Ottoman era.