Since the founding of modern Turkey in 1923, the military has staged coups in 1960, 1971 and 1980, and intervened in 1997:
1960: During a time of heightened tensions between the Turkish government and the opposition, the ruling Democratic Party, headed by Prime Minister Adnan Menderes and President Celal Bayar, began to loosen some of the toughest rules dealing with religion: It allowed thousands of mosques to reopen and legalized the call to prayer in Arabic (instead of Turkish). At the same time, it further alienated the opposition by imposing restrictive new press laws and occasionally barring critical newspapers from publishing. Growing tensions caused the Menderes government to impose martial law in early 1960. The army stepped in and toppled the government on May 27; the president, prime minister and several cabinet members were arrested and quickly tried for treason and other offenses. Menderes was executed. Gen. Cemal Gursel assumed power, beginning a period of military-dominated politics that would last until 1965.
1971: The Turkish economy stagnated in the late 1960s, and the recession caused widespread unrest. So in March the military intervened once again, an effort to "restore order," it said. Memduh Tagmac, the chief of the general staff, gave a memorandum to Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel. It accused his government of driving the country into anarchy, and demanded the formation of a "strong and credible government." Demirel resigned hours later, after meeting with his cabinet. The military did not rule directly during this period. Several caretaker governments led the country until 1973, when Fahri Koruturk, a retired naval officer, was installed as president by the parliament.
1980: Instability continued even after the 1971 coup: Turkey changed prime ministers 11 times in the '70s, the economy continued to stagnate, and left- and right-wing groups continued violent clashes in the streets. In March 1980, a group of generals recommended the military move forward with a coup. It was launched in September when officers announced on state television that they were imposing martial law and dissolving the government. Chief of the General Staff Gen. Kenan Evren became president, and a naval officer, Bulend Ulusu, assumed the post of prime minister. Ulusu was succeeded in 1983 by Turgut Ozal, who is now widely credited with stabilizing the Turkish economy.
1997: The 1995 election led to overwhelming gains for the Islamist Welfare party, which took power the following year as the head of a coalition government. So in 1997 the military issued a series of "recommendations," which the government had no choice but to accept. Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan agreed to a compulsory eight-year education program to prevent students from enrolling in religious schools, a headscarf ban at universities, and other measures. Erbakan was then forced to resign. The Welfare party was shut down in 1998, and Erbakan was banned from politics for five years. Some former members of the party, including current prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, would eventually go on to found the Justice and Development Party.
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