ABSTRACT
The military regime which took power on 12 September 1980 lasted a total of just under three years and three months, until 6 December 1983. It was not only longer lived than either of its two predecessors, but was arguably more successful. In character it was far more homogeneous and had more conservative objectives. Unlike some of those officers who had participated in the interventions of 1960 and 1971, the small group of senior commanders who took over in 1980 did not have any far-reaching plans for social and economic reform. Their aims were straightforward – to end the appalling terrorist bloodshed, right the economy and return Turkey to elected civilian government in conditions which, they hoped, would make yet another intervention unnecessary. This is not to suggest that their task was a simple one: like their predecessors, they soon found that military interventions in politics are likely to create as many problems as they solve.
