BEGINNING OF THIRD WAY IN TURKEY; NATION PARTY (1948)

This article investigates the Nation Party which started its political life as ‘the third party; competed fiercely with Peoples’ Republican Party and Democrat Party and the Republican Nation Party which was established after the enclosed closure of the Nation Party taking its ideological stances into consideration. These parties, as the ancestors of the modern-day Nationalist Movement Party, was founded on two charismatic leaders: Field Marshall Fevzi Cakmak and Osman Bolukbasi whose entire political career were under the roof of the Nation Party. The Nation Party did not give up the struggle even though it had to fight against the state apparatus. Even though it was never elected as the first party, the Nation Party remained intact and was a considerable political force until the mid-1960s. This party was an important foundation stone for the democratization process in Turkey since the existence of this party prevented Turkey from having a two-party political system