A Unique Opponent Group in Republican People’s Party: Thirtyfives

After the death of Ataturk on 10th November 1938, Ismet Inonu was elected as the President of Turkish Republic and the Head of the Republican People’s Party. Thus a new era began not only for Turkish political scene but also for Republican People’s Party. This era, which is also known as the “National Leader Era”, was under the influence of the Second World War and lasted until May 1950. The most significant progress of the Inonu’s era is the transition to multi-party system in Turkey. In this period new political parties such as Democratic Party were established and power-opposition relations turned into a new aspect. In the same period, Republican People’s Party witnessed various conflicts and arguments in its own right. In August 1947, the Thirtyfives movement which had emerged under the leadership of Nihat Erim against to Prime Minister Recep Peker is the most significant example of these conflicts. The conflict basically depends on the dispute between the single-party system and democratic mentality. In this context, it’s possible to claim that the Thirtyfives movement is one of the accelerator factors in the variation of Republican People’s Party in the transition period to the multiparty system.