Crossing Identities and the Turkish Military

Military cultures, as a rule, do not change easily. Turkish military culture stands out here, however, having undergone several stark changes within the last century.°°This book focuses on modern Turkish politics by giving special reference to civil-military relations and military culture. Turkish people give very strong importance on soldiery and even sanctify the status of 'martyrdom'. This obliges us to analyse cultural determinants of civil-military relations to understand the reasons of ongoing military interventions in politics. °°Under which circumstances do Turkish military officers believe that military rule is more favourable than civilian rule? Why did the Turkish people applaud a number of military interventions in the past? To answer these questions we analysed Turkish military culture comprehensively and separated its transformation into three periods, namely revolutionist (1908-1945), guardianship (1945-1999) and depoliticization (1999-2013). While analysing each part, we also noted their impacts on Turkish politics and Turkish society as well as the reasons that shape the so-called close linkage between military and society.