Bülent Ecevit
Encyclopedia
Mustafa Bülent Ecevit was a Turkish
politician
, poet
, writer
and journalist
, who was the leader of Republican People's Party (CHP)
, later of the Democratic Left Party (DSP)
and four-time Prime Minister of Turkey
.
, Ecevit's father was Ahmet Fahri Ecevit who was born in Kastamonu
and was a professor of forensic medicine at Ankara University
. Later Ahmet Fahri started his political life as CHP's Kastamonu
deputy between 1943-1950. His mother, Fatma Nazlı, was born in Istanbul and was among the first women in Turkey to paint professionally.
In 1944, Ecevit graduated from Robert College
in Istanbul
and later from the University of London
's School of Oriental and African Studies
, and then started working as a translator in the Press Publication Head Office (Basın Yayın Genel Müdürlüğü). He married his classmate Rahşan Aral
in 1946. He went to the United States
in the mid–1950s on a State Department fellowship, and worked at two newspapers in North Carolina
.
His paternal grandfather's name was Kürtzade (son of Kurd) Mustafa Şükrü Efendi and Ecevit has said Maybe I am a Kurdish
ancestry.
between 1961 and 1965, contributing to the acceptance of the right to strike and collective agreement. In 1966 he became the secretary general of the Republican People's Party
. In 1971 he resigned from the post as a protest to the party decision to support the transitional government established by a military intervention.
In 1972, he succeeded İsmet İnönü
as the leader of the party and became Prime Minister in a coalition with the National Salvation Party of Necmettin Erbakan
. This government is most noted for ordering Turkish invasion of Cyprus
on July 20, 1974. The landing ended in August 1974, when Turkish troops occupied 37% of the island's territory, which was followed by the establishment of a de facto state Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
in 1983.
Bülent Ecevit recalls that he learned for the first time of the existence of Operation Gladio
, a secret "stay-behind
" NATO army, in 1974, and has suspected "Counter-Guerrilla
", the Turkish branch of Gladio, of being responsible for the May 1, 1977 Taksim Square massacre
in Istanbul, during which snipers shot on a protest rally of 500,000 citizens, killing 38 and injuring hundreds. CHP defeated AP
at the 1977 general elections
by gathering 41% of the votes. This victory was just after the events of May 1 and the victory of CHP was seen as the answer of the left wing of Turkish politics.
Following the 1980 coup led by General Kenan Evren
, Ecevit was incarcerated and suspended from active politics for life along with the other political leaders of the time. A referendum in 1987 lifted his ban from politics, and he became the chairman of the Democratic Left Party
, inheriting the position from his wife, Rahşan Ecevit
. His party failed to enter the National Assembly at the 1987 national elections, and in spite of passing the electoral barrier in 1991 managed to win only 7 seats in parliament. DSP's fortunes changed after the 1995 elections, when the party won 75 seats (out of 550). After two short-lived governments (formed by Mesut Yılmaz
and Necmettin Erbakan, respectively), Ecevit became a deputy prime minister in the last government of Mesut Yılmaz. In 1998-99 he was briefly the caretaker Prime Minister in the run-up to the 1999 general elections. In those elections - also helped by the fact that Abdullah Öcalan
, head of the separatist (PKK) was apprehended in Kenya and flown to Turkey during this period - Ecevit's party gained the largest number of seats, leading to Ecevit's final term as Prime Minister in a coalition with the Motherland Party
of Mesut Yılmaz and the Nationalist Movement Party
of Devlet Bahçeli
.
Ecevit's government undertook a number of reforms aimed at stabilizing the Turkish economy in preparation for accession negotiations with the European Union. However, the short-term economic pain brought on by the reforms caused rifts within his coalition and party, and eventually forced new elections in 2002. Ecevit, at this time visibly frail, was unsuccessful in leading his party back into the National Assembly. Ecevit subsequently retired from active politics in 2004.
Bülent Ecevit was not only a politician but also a poet and a writer. He studied Sanskrit
, Bengali
, and English
at the University of London
's School of Oriental and African Studies
, and translated works by Rabindranath Tagore
, T. S. Eliot
, and Bernard Lewis
into Turkish
. Ecevit, who also studied at the American Robert College
, one of the most prestigious high schools in Istanbul, was successful in these literary endeavors despite never having graduated from a university, a fact that also prevented him from ever running for the Presidency of the Turkish Republic.
Ecevit was hospitalized at the Gülhane Military Hospital in Ankara and placed in a medically-induced coma after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage on May 18, 2006. He died on November 5, 2006 at 20:40 (UTC) due to respiratory failure without regaining consciousness. He was laid to rest in the Turkish State Cemetery
in Ankara with a state funeral
on November 11, 2006. The funeral was attended by approximately 1,000,000 people from all 81 provinces.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, who was the leader of Republican People's Party (CHP)
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
, later of the Democratic Left Party (DSP)
Democratic Left Party (Turkey)
The Democratic Left Party is a Turkish political party founded on November 14, 1985, by Rahşan Ecevit.-1985-1999:The DSP, a social democratic oriented party, was registered on November 14, 1985 by Rahşan Ecevit, wife of Bülent Ecevit, as he was banned from political life after the 1980 coup...
and four-time Prime Minister of Turkey
Prime Minister of Turkey
The Prime Minister of the Turkey is the head of government in Turkish politics. The prime minister is the leader of a political coalition in the Turkish parliament and the leader of the cabinet....
.
Personal life
Born in AnkaraAnkara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, Ecevit's father was Ahmet Fahri Ecevit who was born in Kastamonu
Kastamonu
Kastamonu is the capital district of the Kastamonu Province, Turkey. According to the 2000 census, population of the district is 102,059 of which 64,606 live in the urban center of Kastamonu. The district covers an area of , and the town lies at an elevation of...
and was a professor of forensic medicine at Ankara University
Ankara University
Ankara University is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in the Turkish Republic....
. Later Ahmet Fahri started his political life as CHP's Kastamonu
Kastamonu
Kastamonu is the capital district of the Kastamonu Province, Turkey. According to the 2000 census, population of the district is 102,059 of which 64,606 live in the urban center of Kastamonu. The district covers an area of , and the town lies at an elevation of...
deputy between 1943-1950. His mother, Fatma Nazlı, was born in Istanbul and was among the first women in Turkey to paint professionally.
In 1944, Ecevit graduated from Robert College
Robert College
Robert College of Istanbul , is one of the most selective independent private high schools in Turkey. Robert College is a co-educational, boarding school with a wooded campus on the European side of Istanbul between the two bridges on the Bosphorus, with the Arnavutköy district to the east, and...
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
and later from the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
's School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
, and then started working as a translator in the Press Publication Head Office (Basın Yayın Genel Müdürlüğü). He married his classmate Rahşan Aral
Rahsan Ecevit
Rahşan Ecevit is the spouse of the late Turkish politician and former prime minister Bülent Ecevit.She was born in Bursa, Turkey to a family from Şebinkarahisar, a town in the northeastern Giresun Province. Her father was Namık Zeki Aral, and her mother Zahide Aral. Their family came from...
in 1946. He went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the mid–1950s on a State Department fellowship, and worked at two newspapers in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
His paternal grandfather's name was Kürtzade (son of Kurd) Mustafa Şükrü Efendi and Ecevit has said Maybe I am a Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
ancestry.
Political life
Ecevit was elected into the Turkish parliament for the first time in 1957. He was a Member of the Parliament between 1960 and 1961. Ecevit served as the Minister of LabourMinistry of Labour and Social Security (Turkey)
The Ministry of Labour and Social Security is a government ministry office of the Republic of Turkey, responsible for labour and social security affairs in Turkey....
between 1961 and 1965, contributing to the acceptance of the right to strike and collective agreement. In 1966 he became the secretary general of the Republican People's Party
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
. In 1971 he resigned from the post as a protest to the party decision to support the transitional government established by a military intervention.
In 1972, he succeeded İsmet İnönü
Ismet Inönü
Mustafa İsmet İnönü was a Turkish Army General, Prime Minister and the second President of Turkey. In 1938, the Republican People's Party gave him the title of "Milli Şef" .-Family and early life:...
as the leader of the party and became Prime Minister in a coalition with the National Salvation Party of Necmettin Erbakan
Necmettin Erbakan
Necmettin Erbakan was a Turkish engineer, academic, politician , who was the Prime Minister of Turkey from 1996 until 1997. He was Turkey's first Islamist Prime Minister...
. This government is most noted for ordering Turkish invasion of Cyprus
Turkish invasion of Cyprus
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus, launched on 20 July 1974, was a Turkish military invasion in response to a Greek military junta backed coup in Cyprus...
on July 20, 1974. The landing ended in August 1974, when Turkish troops occupied 37% of the island's territory, which was followed by the establishment of a de facto state Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Northern Cyprus or North Cyprus , officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus , is a self-declared state that comprises the northeastern part of the island of Cyprus...
in 1983.
Bülent Ecevit recalls that he learned for the first time of the existence of Operation Gladio
Operation Gladio
Operation Gladio is the codename for a clandestine NATO "stay-behind" operation in Italy after World War II. Its purpose was to continue anti-communist actions in the event of a shift to a Communist party led government...
, a secret "stay-behind
Stay-behind
In a stay-behind operation, a country places secret operatives or organisations in its own territory, for use in the event that the territory is overrun by an enemy. If this occurs, the operatives would then form the basis of a resistance movement, or would act as spies from behind enemy lines...
" NATO army, in 1974, and has suspected "Counter-Guerrilla
Counter-Guerrilla
Counter-Guerrilla is the Turkish branch of Operation Gladio, a clandestine stay-behind anti-communist initiative backed by the United States as an expression of the Truman Doctrine. The founding goal of the operation was to erect a guerrilla force capable of countering a possible Soviet invasion...
", the Turkish branch of Gladio, of being responsible for the May 1, 1977 Taksim Square massacre
Taksim Square massacre
The Taksim Square massacre relates to the incidents on 1 May, 1977, the international Labour Day on Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey.-Background:...
in Istanbul, during which snipers shot on a protest rally of 500,000 citizens, killing 38 and injuring hundreds. CHP defeated AP
Justice Party
Justice Party is the name of several different political parties around the world:*Indian Justice Party*Justice Party *Justice Party *Justice Party *Justice Party *Justice Party *Justice Party...
at the 1977 general elections
Turkish general election, 1977
General elections were held in Turkey on 5 June 1977. Elections took place in the middle of a political race between the right wing party AP and the left wing party CHP. With the charismatic leadership of Bülent Ecevit, CHP managed to beat one of the symbol figures of the conservative politics of...
by gathering 41% of the votes. This victory was just after the events of May 1 and the victory of CHP was seen as the answer of the left wing of Turkish politics.
Following the 1980 coup led by General Kenan Evren
Kenan Evren
Ahmet Kenan Evren was the seventh President of Turkey; a post he assumed by leading the 1980 military coup. He was also the last president to be born in the Ottoman Empire.- Biography :...
, Ecevit was incarcerated and suspended from active politics for life along with the other political leaders of the time. A referendum in 1987 lifted his ban from politics, and he became the chairman of the Democratic Left Party
Democratic Left Party (Turkey)
The Democratic Left Party is a Turkish political party founded on November 14, 1985, by Rahşan Ecevit.-1985-1999:The DSP, a social democratic oriented party, was registered on November 14, 1985 by Rahşan Ecevit, wife of Bülent Ecevit, as he was banned from political life after the 1980 coup...
, inheriting the position from his wife, Rahşan Ecevit
Rahsan Ecevit
Rahşan Ecevit is the spouse of the late Turkish politician and former prime minister Bülent Ecevit.She was born in Bursa, Turkey to a family from Şebinkarahisar, a town in the northeastern Giresun Province. Her father was Namık Zeki Aral, and her mother Zahide Aral. Their family came from...
. His party failed to enter the National Assembly at the 1987 national elections, and in spite of passing the electoral barrier in 1991 managed to win only 7 seats in parliament. DSP's fortunes changed after the 1995 elections, when the party won 75 seats (out of 550). After two short-lived governments (formed by Mesut Yılmaz
Mesut Yilmaz
Ahmet Mesut Yılmaz is the former leader of the Motherland Party and was the Turkish prime minister in the 1990s.Mesut Yılmaz was a rising star in the Motherland Party of Turgut Özal, representing the Black Sea province of Rize in the parliament and serving as tourism minister in Ozal's cabinet...
and Necmettin Erbakan, respectively), Ecevit became a deputy prime minister in the last government of Mesut Yılmaz. In 1998-99 he was briefly the caretaker Prime Minister in the run-up to the 1999 general elections. In those elections - also helped by the fact that Abdullah Öcalan
Abdullah Öcalan
Abdullah Öcalan , Kurdish founder of the terrorist organization called Kurdistan Workers' Party in 1978.Öcalan was captured in Nairobi and extradited to the Turkish security force, and sentenced to death under Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code, which concerns the formation of armed gangs...
, head of the separatist (PKK) was apprehended in Kenya and flown to Turkey during this period - Ecevit's party gained the largest number of seats, leading to Ecevit's final term as Prime Minister in a coalition with the Motherland Party
Motherland Party (Turkey)
The Motherland Party, was a political party in Turkey. It was founded in 1983 by Turgut Özal. It was merged to Democratic Party in October 2009...
of Mesut Yılmaz and the Nationalist Movement Party
Nationalist Movement Party
The Nationalist Movement Party , is a far-right political party in Turkey.In the 2002 general elections, the party had lost its 129 seats as it had won only 8.34% of the national vote...
of Devlet Bahçeli
Devlet Bahçeli
Devlet Bahçeli is a Turkish politician and has been the second chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party since 6 July 1997....
.
Bülent Ecevit was not only a politician but also a poet and a writer. He studied Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
's School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
, and translated works by Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
, T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
, and Bernard Lewis
Bernard Lewis
Bernard Lewis, FBA is a British-American historian, scholar in Oriental studies, and political commentator. He is the Cleveland E. Dodge Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University...
into Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
. Ecevit, who also studied at the American Robert College
Robert College
Robert College of Istanbul , is one of the most selective independent private high schools in Turkey. Robert College is a co-educational, boarding school with a wooded campus on the European side of Istanbul between the two bridges on the Bosphorus, with the Arnavutköy district to the east, and...
, one of the most prestigious high schools in Istanbul, was successful in these literary endeavors despite never having graduated from a university, a fact that also prevented him from ever running for the Presidency of the Turkish Republic.
Turkish State Cemetery
Turkish State Cemetery is a national and military cemetery in Ankara, Turkey, containing the graves of the presidents of Turkey and the high-ranked, close companions-in-arms of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, in the Turkish War of Independence.- History :The cemetery...
in Ankara with a state funeral
State funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...
on November 11, 2006. The funeral was attended by approximately 1,000,000 people from all 81 provinces.
Poetry
- Işığı Taştan Oydum (I Carved Light Out Of Stone) (1978)
- El Ele Büyüttük Sevgiyi (We Raised Love Hand In Hand) (1997)
Political
- Ortanın Solu (Left of the Center) (1966)
- Bu Düzen Değişmelidir (This Order Should Change) (1968)
- Atatürk ve Devrimcilik (Atatürk and Revolutionism) (1970)
- Kurultaylar ve Sonrası (Party Congresses and After) (1972)
- Demokratik Sol ve Hükümet Bunalımı (Democratic Left and Government Crisis) (1974)
- Demokratik Solda Temel Kavramlar ve Sorunlar (Basic Definitions and Problems in Democratic Left) (1975)
- Dış Politika (Foreign Policy) (1975)
- Dünya-Türkiye-Milliyetçilik (World-Turkey-Nationalism) (1975)
- Toplum-Siyaset-Yönetim (Society-Politics-Government) (1975)
- İşçi-Köylü El Ele (Workers and Peasants Hand in Hand) (1976)
- Türkiye / 1965-1975 (Turkey / 1965-1975) (1976)
- Umut Yılı: 1977 (Year of Hope: 1977) (1977)
External links
- Siyasetin Şairi, Karaoğlan, HürriyetHürriyet-External links:* * ** * *...
, November 2002 - A Selection of Ecevit's Poetry