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July 15, 2016. It was the longest, the darkest night in the nation’s history. The night of destiny!
Explore how Recep Tayyip Erdoğan transformed Turkey from military rule to a powerful democracy and the controversies surrounding his leadership.
Key Takeaways
- Erdoğan rose from poverty to become Turkey's most powerful leader through popular support.
- The military historically controlled Turkey, suppressing Islamic political movements.
- Erdoğan shifted Turkey from military dominance to a people-driven democracy.
- His leadership brought economic growth but also accusations of authoritarianism.
- The 2016 coup attempt was a pivotal moment solidifying Erdoğan's power.
What the video covers
- The video recounts the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey and the people's role in defending democracy.
- It explores Turkey's history of military coups and secularism imposed by the military.
- Details Erdoğan's humble beginnings in Istanbul and his rise through political ranks.
- Discusses Erdoğan's mentorship under Necmettin Erbakan and the Islamic political movement.
- Highlights Erdoğan's tenure as Istanbul's mayor and his efforts to solve the city's problems.
- Examines Turkey's economic and political transformation under Erdoğan's leadership.
- Covers the controversies and accusations against Erdoğan, including authoritarian tendencies.
- Describes the abolition of the parliamentary system and the 2017 referendum.
- Mentions the resolution of the Kurdish rebellion and Turkey's changing global role.
- Concludes with Erdoğan's lasting impact and legacy as Turkey's most influential leader.
Chapters
- 00:00The Night of the 2016 Coup Attempt
- 01:19The Birth of a New Turkey
- 02:27Erdoğan's Rise to Power
- 03:34Military's Role in Turkey's Secularism
- 06:06Political Turmoil and Military Coups
- 07:06Turkey’s Economic Struggles and Public Discontent
- 08:03Erdoğan’s Early Life and Political Beginnings
- 10:22Erdoğan as Istanbul’s Mayor
- 12:51Economic Growth and Social Changes
- 15:11Controversies and Authoritarian Accusations
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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That night, when soldiers took to the streets, tanks seized the bridges, and from the skies, even the Parliament was under bombardment!
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Perhaps history was repeating itself. Another military coup on the verge of success! The President, elected by the people’s vote, was on vacation. In fact, no one even knew where he was. Was he even alive or not?
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It felt as if everything was about to change. And then? Then, a voice is heard: Step out of your homes, gather in the squares, in the streets. Go to the airports, and show this small group...
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...armed with guns, tanks, and bombs... what the people are capable of! And then, the world witnessed a sight, a sight that perhaps could only be seen in Turkey!
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The people answered their leader’s call and poured into the streets! Unafraid of bullets and tanks, to save their leader...
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...and to save their democracy, they took to the streets! And remember this, when the people rise to the streets...
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...no power on earth can stop them. Not bullets, not tanks, not even warplanes! It was the birth of a new Turkey, a Turkey where decisions are no longer made by the military, but by the people!
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But as the saying goes: time nurtures events for years. A sudden disaster never happens overnight!
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So this is not just the story of that one night. It was a night prepared for years, even decades!
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This is really the story of a question that still puzzles the world: How, in a fiercely secular state built by Atatürk, where the military stood guard over secularism, where every voice raised for Islam was crushed for decades, could a leader with a clear Islamic background rise to such power...
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...that for 23 years, no one has been able to shake him? They cannot silence us!
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If they try, we will rise like a storm, we will erupt like a volcano!
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How did a poor boy, selling bread and water bottles on the streets of Istanbul...
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...rise to become the most powerful leader of Turkey?
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A democratic leader, chosen by the people, not once but again and again. And whatever he wills, the people make it happen!
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But has this trust, this confidence, changed him today? Today, is he truly a democratic leader? Or has he become Turkey’s new ‘Sultan’...
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...with all authority, all power, now in his hands? Did he transform Turkey from the ‘Sick Man of Europe’...
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...into a military and economic power? Or are these the very policies that have...
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...dragged Turkey into a new kind of dictatorship, and a fresh economic crisis?
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So today, let’s try to solve this puzzle, in the story of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan...
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...in the story of his rise, his triumphs, and the grave accusations that still surround him!
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We’ll see why millions call him their hero, and why, at the same time, millions more despise him. This is the story that will help you understand one of the most important leaders of the 21st century. So, subscribe to Dareecha, because we’ll be bringing you many more videos like this!
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Always remember, to understand any leader, you must first understand their country. It’s important to understand the circumstances and events in which he was born...
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...raised, and began his political struggle. The Turkey in which Recep Tayyip Erdoğan grew up was, on the surface, a democracy...
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...but in reality, the reins of power were in the hands of the military. You may know that Turkey was the first country in the Muslim world...
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...to adopt secularism, and that too, with great strictness! The Ottoman Empire was dismantled. The Caliphate, a symbol of Muslim unity, was abolished. After that, secularism was imposed with brute force and oppression...
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...and its guardianship was handed over to the military! Yes! It was the Turkish military that called itself the guardian of secularism. And with its name, it never allowed any government or politician to survive...
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...if they tried to bring Islam back in the country. Whoever strayed even slightly from Atatürk’s path, the army removed them!
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Like in 1960, when the elected Prime Minister Adnan Menderes was overthrown... and even executed along with some of his colleagues!
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But why? Just because he allowed the call to prayer in Arabic, lifted the ban on building mosques, and removed restrictions on publishing the Holy Qur’an!
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And in "secular" Turkey, there could be no greater crime than this... and the punishment for it was death by hanging from a military court!
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Then in 1971, another government was sent home through a so-called 'memorandum'! Then in 1980, a bloody coup took place...
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...the army jailed half a million people,
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...executed 50, and subjected thousands to brutal torture! It was as if they declared that in this country...
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...only the language of power would be spoken!
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In 1997, Turkey’s first Islamist Prime Minister, Necmettin Erbakan, was forced out of power... not with tanks, not with bullets, but through the pressure of media and the courts!
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This was called the “Post-Modern Coup”! The military would not let any government function...
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...this created such a political crisis in Turkey...
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...that despite all its potential, the country was stuck in terrible conditions. Turkey was economically very weak...
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...where no government was able to make any long-term policy.
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Inflation in the country was sky-high...
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...Turkey was trapped in IMF loans. And once again, the world was calling Turkey the “Sick Man of Europe”!
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The people were fed up with this entire system...
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...fed up with the incompetent politicians...
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...and with the military’s constant interference!
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They were waiting for a messiah, a white knight, a savior...
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...someone who could clean up the mess of decades!
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And no one could have imagined... that a boy from the streets of Istanbul’s Kasimpasa district...
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...selling water and bread, would one day change their destiny! The same boy, whose name was Recep Tayyip Erdoğan!
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Erdoğan’s father worked on a ferry. It was a poor household, and making ends meet was very difficult!
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That’s why, after school, just to earn his pocket money and pay school fees...
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...Recep used to sell water and simit on the streets. Yes, the Turkish sesame bread rings!
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No one could have imagined that this boy, who once sold simit on the streets for a few coins...
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...would one day become the Mayor of the same city, and then the Prime Minister, and eventually the most powerful President in Turkey’s history!
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Yes! Erdoğan was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth...
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...he rose from among the people. He had personally faced poverty and the struggles of an ordinary man’s life...
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...and that is why he truly knew and understood them! And maybe this was the very thing that connected him with the people!
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In fact, I would say this very background was Erdoğan’s greatest strength! Anyway, long story short, Erdoğan stepped into politics as he grew older...
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under the mentorship of Necmettin Erbakan! Erbakan was the founder of Islamic politics in Turkey...
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...his ideology was called “Milli Görüş,” meaning National Vision!
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The goal of this ideology was to free Turkey from Western dependence...
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...to make it a self-reliant industrial power...
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...and a nation proud of its Islamic values!
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Erdoğan began his political journey with Erbakan’s Refah Party, and thanks to his tireless hard work and extraordinary oratory skills...
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he quickly rose through the party ranks!
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I am a good man, but I am not a sheep!
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You may cut my throat, but you cannot put a leash around it!
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The biggest turning point of his life came in 1994!
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When he was elected the Mayor of Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul!
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It was a time when Istanbul was drowning in problems...
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...piles of garbage everywhere, a broken water supply making life miserable...
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...endless traffic jams, and above all, corruption!
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Think of Istanbul as Turkey’s Karachi...
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...once a glorious city, once the nation’s capital, but not anymore!
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And then Erdoğan did what perhaps no one else could! He worked day and night and solved the city’s basic problems!
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New water pipelines were...
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Now he was playing on a pitch that attracted every class, every section of society towards him!
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And then, in the 2002 elections, his party achieved a historic victory! After decades, a single party finally formed a solid government in Turkey!
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But there was one problem with this government… ...Tayyip Erdoğan, due to the ban, could neither become Prime Minister nor hold any other office!
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The AK Party made Abdullah Gül the Prime Minister... ...and about four months later, new legislation was passed!
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And Recep Tayyip Erdoğan became Prime Minister... ...marking the beginning of an economic miracle! The AK Party completely transformed the Turkey!
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Their biggest achievement was paying off Turkey's $23.5 billion IMF debt... ...and saying goodbye to it forever!
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This was a declaration of independence for the Turkish economy! Then, in just 10 years, Turkey's GDP rose from $236 billion...
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...to over $950 billion - yes, nearly a fourfold increase! Prosperity became visible among the people...
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...per capita income rose from $3,500 to $11,000... ...millions escaped the trap of poverty, and joined the middle class!
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The AK Party also launched numerous mega projects across the country... ...building hospitals, universities, roads, and an entire network of bridges!
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They built the world’s largest airport in Istanbul... ...a railway tunnel under the sea... ...and another grand bridge connecting Asia and Europe...
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...all during the AK Party’s era! Even more importantly, Turkey’s defense industry became completely self-reliant!
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In fact, its drone technology not only strengthened Turkey’s defense but also that of several allied countries!
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Alongside economic development, Erdoğan also gave Turkey’s religious... ...and conservative people the respect and rights they had long been denied!
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For example, wearing the hijab was previously banned in Turkey’s universities and government offices I am the top student in my school, but...
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...they won’t let me speak because I am covering my hair! Be quiet! People like you have no right to speak!
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Even when the AK Party first came to power... ...Prime Minister Abdullah Gül was not saluted by the army chief...
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because his wife wore the hijab! But Tayyip Erdoğan lifted this ban... ...integrating millions of women who wore the hijab into mainstream society!
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And then in 2020, he made the decision that showed... ...Turkey’s future is tied to Islam, not secularism!
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In 2020, he converted Hagia Sophia from a museum back into a mosque! This is the historic place of worship that Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror...
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...turned into a mosque after capturing Istanbul in 1453! But in 1934, during Atatürk’s era, it was turned into a museum!
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Then, after 86 years, the <i>adhan</i> echoed in Hagia Sophia once again and prayers were offered The first Friday prayer was broadcast live almost across the entire Muslim world!
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This was a major achievement for the Turkish nation and the entire Muslim world… ...a declaration that Turkey is no longer ashamed of its Islamic history and heritage ...but takes pride in it!
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Turkey’s foreign policy had always been geared toward pleasing the West and Israel… ...but in 2009, at Davos, the world got its first glimpse of a new Turkey!
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Israeli President Shimon Peres defended Israel’s attacks on Gaza for nearly 25 minutes… ...yes! This story is from long before October 7, 2023… ...the same was happening in Gaza even back then!
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So when it was Erdoğan’s turn after the Israeli president, he was given only 12 minutes… ...and as he began responding, the moderator kept interrupting him repeatedly!
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One minute! I'm gonna hold you to the one minute please! You have killed people. I remember the bodies of children lying on the beaches.
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Let me say something! Prime Minister! we can't start the debate again! Excuse me! Let me speak!
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Please let me speak! At that, Erdoğan’s patience ran out! He stood up from his chair...
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...turned to the host in anger, and spoke the historic words... that echoed across the world!
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You didn’t let me speak! The Israeli president spoke for 25 minutes. You didn’t even give me half the time!
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This one moment changed everything! It wasn’t just a diplomatic spat… it was Erdoğan’s declaration...
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... a declaration that Turkey is no longer a servant of the West or Israel...
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...but a sovereign nation… ...a country that will not shy away from speaking up for the rights of the Muslim world, especially Palestine!
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Overnight, Erdoğan became a hero in the Arab and Muslim world… ...and the West got the message that the rules of the game have now changed!
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Then Turkey did something else… it conquered the world - but quietly, using only its media!
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The drama series based on Ertugrul Ghazi took Turkey’s “soft power” to the skies! This and other series are now watched and loved in over 150 countries!
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These dramas not only bring huge revenue to Turkey… ...they also build the image of Turkey as a hero, especially in the Muslim world!
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They’ve also boosted tourism significantly! Turkey was already strong in tourism... ...but under Erdoğan, it has become one of the top countries in the world!
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Looking at all these aspects, it may seem that Turkey is on a positive path… ...becoming a powerful nation!
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But is everything really “perfect”? Everything being ‘perfect’ can never happen One side of Erdoğan’s struggle is hidden from many...
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...his fight against the deep state… ...the battle with the most powerful establishment in the Muslim world which had built a state within the state!
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Before we look at the other side of Erdoğan’s story, we need to understand this battle!
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They say I’ve increased tension in the country No! The ones who increased the tension are you!
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You, who have raised stress in the central administration, working like a mafia You are the ones who have raised the blood pressure in the country. The real reason is you!
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We talked about how Erdoğan’s struggle was against the military... ...and the secular parties… But is the story really that simple? Not at all!
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In Turkey, the real game was played behind the curtain… By a power no one could see, yet everyone could feel… It was called “Derin Devlet” - the Deep State!
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Or in simple words: a state within the state. But what was this exactly? It wasn’t a formal organization… Rather, it was a secret, unofficial network of army generals, intelligence officers...
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...judges, top bureaucrats, powerful businessmen, even the mafia! What bound them all together was one thing: A strict loyalty to Atatürk’s secular and nationalist ideology.
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They believed that they were the real owners of Turkey... ...not the politicians chosen by the people’s vote.
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Their mission? To make sure Turkey never strayed from Atatürk’s path… ...especially never towards Islam.
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How did this Deep State actually work? Whenever a government went against their interests... ...they would pave the way for military coups… ...carry out political assassinations, create chaos and violence on the streets...
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...just to give the army an excuse to intervene! They used the judiciary to ban political parties.
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They used the media to spread propaganda. It was an invisible hand - making decisions about Turkey’s destiny… ...behind closed doors!
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So when Erdoğan came to power in 2002, he knew: his real enemy was... ...not just the political parties he could see in front of him… ...but this hidden Deep State lurking in the shadows.
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And if he wanted to survive in power, if he wanted to implement his vision… ...he had to defeat this “state within the state.” Then… in 2007, the drama began. Something called the Ergenekon Trials.
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Police announced that they had uncovered a secret nationalist network... ...plotting to overthrow Erdoğan’s government...
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through bombings, assassinations, and chaos. And the trail, they claimed, led straight back to the army - and the Deep State itself!
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For the next few years, Turkey was shaken like never before. Hundreds of serving and retired generals, admirals...
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...journalists, university professors, and businessmen were arrested. They were dragged into televised trials… ...accused of treason… ...many handed long prison sentences.
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It was something no one in Turkish history could have imagined: the army - the very establishment that once saw itself as the “owner” of the nation...
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...now standing in the defendant’s box! This broke the spine of Turkey’s Deep State. It pushed the military out of politics...
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...and for the first time, gave civilian government supremacy. Erdoğan had won this battle. He had proven that he was not just another politician… ...but someone bold enough to challenge, and defeat, the state within the state.
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But remember: such a fight can never be won without controversy. As the saying goes: “Never bring a knife to a gunfight.” So Erdoğan couldn’t just play by soft rules.
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And the way he fought this war revealed his other side... ...the side that makes some call him a democratic hero… ...while others see him as a modern-day Sultan.
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Every story, whether of a person or of an event, always has two sides. And Erdoğan’s story… is no different.
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As his power grew, so did the accusations: That he is becoming a dictator. In a country like Turkey, where Islamists had very little space to exist politically… ...perhaps this was necessary for survival.
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But given Erdoğan’s background, and the way he had risen... ...his opponents were always sharpening their knives against him.
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And yet… Erdoğan always had an answer. Whether it was the mass protests of 2013, which he crushed with an iron hand… ...or the failed coup of 2016.
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That coup did not just change Turkey. It changed Erdoğan himself. Because for the very first time, someone actually tried to kill him.
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Yes, the night of July 15, 2016… when rebel soldiers seized Istanbul and Ankara... ...their biggest target was none other than President Erdoğan himself.
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He was far away from the capital, far away from any city… ...in the tourist town of Marmaris, on Turkey’s southern coast.
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A special commando unit was dispatched in helicopters, with one mission: to capture or perhaps kill Erdoğan.
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But just minutes before the commandos arrived… Erdoğan had already left. It was nothing short of a miracle. Or wait - The real miracle was still to come.
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Erdogan was flying towards Istanbul in his private jet… ...but even the skies were not safe that night!
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Two rebel F-16 fighter jets were searching for his plane... ...yes, to shoot it down!
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And then came the moment no one could believe… The fighter jets spotted Erdogan’s jet. They came so close...
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...that the pilots of both planes could literally see each other! But… they did not fire. Why? Why didn’t they pull the trigger?
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Did they receive counter orders? Did they lose their nerve? Or did Erdogan’s pilot manage to trick them...
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...by claiming over the radio that this was actually a Turkish Airlines passenger flight headed for Istanbul The truth has never been fully revealed… ...but what’s certain is this: that night, Erdogan had both courage and luck on his side.
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And most importantly, he found that one decisive moment that changes the course of history.
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He escaped the jaws of death, and from that point, the rebels’ fate was sealed!
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In the aftermath, thousands of judges, teachers, civil servants,... ...and journalists were either arrested or dismissed from their jobs.
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They were accused of being loyalists of the coup’s alleged mastermind, Fethullah Gülen. Today, many argue that media in Turkey is either directly or indirectly under government control.
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And the most controversial step came in 2017, when a national referendum abolished the parliamentary system...
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...and replaced it with a presidential one. This gave sweeping powers to one man - Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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For all these actions, Erdoğan and his party had their own reasons... ...and they are strong too.
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But critics say it was nothing more than a bid to tighten his grip on power...
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...and move towards one-man rule. But, the truth lies with the people of Turkey,... and they continue to decide with their votes.
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A battlefield where Erdoğan’s opponents have never defeated him For 23 years, he has won every election, and his party has always come to power.
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Even in the toughest economic conditions... ...Turkey managed to score major political victories under him.
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One of the biggest achievements was ending the decades-old Kurdish rebellion. The Kurds, who had rebelled against the Republic of Turkey almost a century ago...
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...and fought for nearly 100 years,... ...finally laid down arms during Erdogan’s tenure and entered the political mainstream.
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It was the beginning of a new era of peace in Turkey... ...a dream long desired...
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...and one that Erdogan undoubtedly delivered This was one of Turkey’s biggest challenges - and he managed to solve it.
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But as with every story, there are not only triumphs, but also failures… but also challenges.
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Over the past 23 years, much has changed... ...the world has changed, circumstances have changed, and Turkey too has transformed.
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Now, the nation faces new and unprecedented challenges. Challenges that will ultimately decide what Erdogan’s true legacy will be.
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There’s no doubt that today’s Turkey is completely different from the Turkey... ...of 2001, when the new century began!
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Today’s Turkey is stronger, more powerful, more independent, and more influential… But now, it faces new challenges, especially the challenge of the economy.
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The economic crisis that began in 2018 still hasn’t stopped! Inflation now is sky-high, and the currency is in its worst decline.
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In 2021 alone, its value dropped by 44%... ...something rarely seen anywhere in the world!
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Whether Erdoğan’s staunch supporters or his critics... ...both have deeply divided Turkish society. This is not the Turkey of 10 or 20 years ago!
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The honeymoon period of the AK Party ended long ago. Now, they face a new challenge: Erdoğan is 71 years old today.
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Turkey needs a new leadership - equally strong, equally charismatic. Erdoğan gave everything to the country. But has he given it a new leadership?
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Only time will tell! And only time will define Erdoğan’s true legacy. Undoubtedly, he is Turkey’s most influential and transformative leader.
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He pulled the country out of its worst crises… Gave it a new identity, a new recognition in the world.
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If he is called Turkey’s greatest leader after Mustafa Kemal Atatürk,... ...it wouldn’t be wrong!
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But like every great leader, the biggest question for Erdoğan is: what happens after him?
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Will Turkey continue to walk the path he built? Will the AK Party remain strong without him?
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Or will Turkey once again sink into the quagmire of secularism? These are the questions that will define Turkey’s future.
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And when it comes to shaping the future of Turkey… There may be no leader greater than Erdoğan himself!
Topics:Recep Tayyip ErdoğanTurkeymilitary coupsecularismIslamic politicsIstanbul mayoreconomic transformation2016 coup attemptauthoritarianismTurkish democracy
