ABSTRACT
The emergence of mainstream leftist politics initiated by the CHP proved to be one of the highlights of Turkish multiparty politics. Prior to the 1965 general elections, the CHP signalled a major doctrinal shift when it announced it was moving to the ‘left of centre’. This was the first institutional attempt to create a Turkish welfare state. This intention had been codified under part three of the 1961 constitution, which directed the state to guarantee its citizens a multitude of social, economic and political rights. As a result, this shift in ideology took a broader view of what democracy should mean. The Kemalist vision of national development as a whole was superseded by concentrating on the development of particular interests. TheCHP conceded that true national development could not be fulfilled without concentrating on sectional and individual interests. In legislative terms, some of these aspirations were highlighted through initiatives such as the provision of collective bargaining and strike rights, thus elevating the status of workers and trades unions. This was in recognition of Turkey’s changing social, economic and demographic composition.
