Nation-state structures of Turkey and Romania in interwar period and their regional reflections

Abstract

This article discusses the state-building policies during interwar period in Turkey and Romania and the impact of the security-based risk perception on domestic policy. The nationalizing politics that emerged in the economical, political and social fields in line with the establishment and consolidation of the nation-state structure in both countries is evaluated from a comparative perspective. Turkey and Romania aimed at promoting regional and international peace during the given period. However, in a process where nation-states were established and security of the borders was sensitive, the relations between groups living in multi-ethnic regions and the central administration changed generally on the basis of the security concerns. Turkey and Romania, which are treated in the nationalising state category in the literature on interwar period, have followed the politics of centralization in line with regional risks and worked to strengthen the state authority in the multi-ethnic borderlands, namely Eastern Anatolia and Transylvania. The article is composed of three parts. In the first section, the concept of nationalizing state is explained, and Turkey and Romania are evaluated within this term. In the second part, the threat posed by the rising revisionism in Europe, the measures developed in return, and the role of the League of Nations are discussed. Last but not least, based on the analysis of Eastern Anatolia and Transylvania regions, it is discussed to what extent security risks were reflected in state policies in Turkey and Romania together with their results. Based on archives in Turkey, Romania, and the United Kingdom, it is revealed that revisionist targets as well as security risks related to political problems increased the centralization efforts of Turkey and Romania and shaped their official state policies on the axis of security. © 2022, Hacettepe University. All rights reserved.