The study titled “Debates on Politics and Ideologies in Turkey on the 100th Anniversary of the Republic” primarily focuses on the hundred-year period of the Republic, as is evident from its title, and it reveals the ideological processes in this regard. The history of the Republic has experienced different ideological transformations. Delving into these aspects would require volumes of books. However, this study aims to contribute to the literature by examining certain aspects of this matter.

The first chapter of the book, in fact, serves as a summary of the entire political history. It identifies the areas where ideological transformations have occurred in Turkey and establishes six key pillars in this regard. Within this framework, the six pillars identified as  ”historical, cultural, and economic foundations”, “political parties”, “political actors/leaders”, “domestic and foreign political events,”, “political institutions” and “political policies” have been examined in the study, with examples from political history.

The second part of the book focuses on a more specific point and examines the processes of the Kadro Movements in the Early Republic period and the development and reflections of the idea of statism. This chapter aims to examine and analyze the idea of statism adopted in the Early Republic period in the context of the needs of the Republic. At the same time, it aims to reveal how the statism approach of the Kadro Movement contributed to the realization of economic independence and the adoption and maintenance of the principles and values of the Republican philosophy by the society. It offers a wide repertoire for these purposes.

In the third part of the book, how the military interventions in Turkey affected the political ideologies in Turkey was analyzed through elections and parties. Therefore, the relationship between the positioning of ideologies in Turkish politics and military interventions has been examined. The study has focused on the short-term post-intervention status of mainstream political ideologies in Turkish politics, specifically within the context of military interventions. Therefore, ideologies have been examined by considering criteria such as whether they are in government or opposition, whether they resonate with the political base or not, and whether they are represented by political parties or not in the context of elections and the political arena.

The fourth chapter of the book focuses on leftist ideologies in Turkey, particularly examining the period between 1960 and 1980 when the left was highly functional. In this process, how the left was shaped has been conveyed. Within the scope of the study, the left has been defined, and the ideologies of social democracy, socialism, and communism that developed within the left during the historical process have been explained. Within these movements, the study has examined the Yön Journal, which is an important publication for the left, student protests politicized by leftist ideas, labor unions formed in response to the growing capitalists, the Turkey Workers’ Party seeking to operate within the legal framework for the left, the National Democratic Revolution movement attempting to achieve revolution through the use of force, and the Republican People’s Party’s centrist left discourse developed to reach the masses.

In the fifth chapter of the book, the parties of the National Vision Movement are examined from the perspective of their establishment, development, weakening, and transformation in Turkish political life. The aspect of this movement attempting to serve as a solution to the destruction within the framework of the bipolar world of liberalism and socialism is explored. Additionally, the study evaluates the process of obstruction by bureaucratic elements within the movement, as well as the bureaucratic approaches in relation to political ideologies, the programs of National Vision parties, coalition protocols, and election declarations.

The sixth chapter of the book delves into the increasingly popular green ideology in recent times. In this section focusing on the history of green politics in Turkey, green politics is primarily analyzed through the existence and activities of green parties. Furthermore, while recounting the history of greens in Turkey, the green movement, shaped around a green ideology, is also examined within the scope of the chapter. In this context, the historical trajectory of green politics in Turkey, which has followed a consistent path from 1988 to 2023, occasionally operating outside of the political scene, is evaluated.

In the seventh chapter of the book, there is a focus on another topic that has recently garnered significant attention and examination, which is smart cities and their evaluation within the neoliberal framework. The chapter evaluates the fact that neoliberal policies have been widely used as a critical tool in the development of smart city initiatives, leading to detrimental outcomes such as commercialization, privatization, social exclusion, inequality, and spatial fragmentation. In this context, the issues of “technology, cost, and public-private partnerships” driven by neoliberal policies to promote smart city initiatives have been examined.

In the eighth and final chapter of the book, examples of the outward extensions of Turkish ideological approach are provided. The eighth and final chapter of the book provides examples of Turkey’s outward ideological approach. Through the example of Karabakh, it discusses Azerbaijan’s experiences and contributions to the Karabakh Victory from the perspective of Turkish nationalism within the framework of Turkey-Azerbaijan ideological and political partnership. Particularly, it outlines the ideological approach of making functional the Zengezur Corridor, also referred to as the Turan Corridor, which is seen as a gateway to the Turan geography and is expected to elevate the Turkish nation to a prominent position within the Eurasian region.

Consequently, when we take an overall look at the book, it suggsts that Turkish political ideologies have been shaped by a complex interplay of historical, cultural, economic, political and socialfactors. In this sense, the book helps us better understand how Turkish politicalideologies have evolved over the 100/years period of the Republic.