ABSTRACT
Having examined Turkey’s socio-economic environment, we now attempt to dissect the persona of the leader in question, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Erdoğan’s family – like many other lower-middle class families – moved from the countryside to Istanbul when he was young in search of better economic opportunities. Erdoğan’s viewpoint and worldview were broadly affected by the culture shock of life in Istanbul. Our narrative draws comparisons between the social transitions discussed in the preceding chapter and Erdoğan’s personal life in order to illustrate the significance of the prevailing climate in shaping the leader’s political character. In this chapter, we outline Erdoğan’s ascent in the Turkish political sphere up to his appointment as the mayor of Istanbul in 1994.
