The making of the transformation of Turkey between 1980 and 1983

Abstract

The year 1980 marked the beginning of Turkey's adoption of neoliberalization of the form of the state and relations of production. The minority government of the time, with the policy package called the January 24 Decisions, took the first step towards starting the process of neoliberalization. However, it was not in a hegemonic position that would provide it with the necessary political power needed to implement the Decisions. The bloody military coup of September 12, 1980, created the required socio-political environment, produced political power, and ensured the so-called “social peace”-or stability. From 1980, until the general elections of November 6, 1983, the three years under the junta rule laid the foundations for an intertwined political, social, and economic transformation that Turkey would experience in the following decades. © 2025 selection and editorial matter, Valerio Torreggiani and José Luís Cardoso;individual chapters, the contributors. All rights reserved.