ABSTRACT
Turkey’s politicians and political parties once again proved inept in maintaining a viable political system. The modernization process in Turkey was imposed by Ataturk; the principles of Kemalism arose primarily from the practical necessities of the process. The surfacing of Marxist and extreme left-wing groups and the revival of Islam as a political force called into question the Kemalist traditions. The driving force for disengagement is Kemalism which binds the military to the civilian institutions, and establishes principles of behavior for the Turkish military who were entrusted to be the protectors of the nation-state. The armed forces had to intervene on September 12, 1980 because the Turkish state was on the verge of falling apart with growing economic problems of runaway inflation and unemployment together with increasing public disorder and political violence between various political, ethnic and religious groups that became a daily occurrence. The transition from military to civilian rule is complete in Turkey.
