ABSTRACT
The Turkish Republic was an early example of a newly established political system that adopted rapid modernization as a primary goal. The preceding theoretical discussion will be taken as a frame of reference in examining the consequences of the Kemalist bureaucratic legacy on post-Kemalist developments. The change of alphabet was one instrument of standardization. A major process of bureaucratic centralization had been underway ever since the reign of Mahmut II. Consolidation of the bureaucratic elite was also aided by staffing the legislature with former bureaucrats. The party also served as a gatekeeper of access into the bureaucratic and other status positions in society. Having inherited a centralized administrative system and a sizable bureaucratic cadre, whose traditions they shared, the Kemalists had a ready instrument in realizing their visions. Several developments of the late 1930s paved the way for the later erosion of bureaucratic power.
