Evolution of Statism in the Turkish-Muslim Bourgeoisie's Economic Perspective: From the 1st Turkey Economic Congress to the 2nd Turkey Economic Congress
Evolution of Statism in the Turkish-Muslim Bourgeoisie's Economic Perspective: From the 1st Turkey Economic Congress to the 2nd Turkey Economic Congress

Summary/Abstract: In this study, the 1st and 2nd Turkey Economic Congresses emerge as the fundamental milestones of capitalist development in the literature of Turkish economic history. Since the late period of the Ottoman Empire, the efforts of the state to create a Muslim-Turkish bourgeoisie continued in the newly established Republic of Turkey, and bureaucrats generally accepted the demands of the mentioned class during the 1st Turkey Economic Congress. Furthermore, during the 1st Turkey Economic Congress, discussions were held on how to strengthen the Muslim-Turkish bourgeoisie, and in this context, a series of decisions were made during the mentioned congress. After World War II, the bourgeoisie, which believed that it had become sufficiently powerful or perceived itself as such, began to think that the state was now an obstacle to their interests. In the 2nd Turkey Economic Congress held in 1948, they shared these thoughts with the public. This perception of the bourgeoisie arises from the state's involvement in the market as a producer since the early 1930s and therefore, the inability of this group to compete with the state. In this study, we investigate the transformation and reasons behind the bourgeoisie's mindset regarding statism in the context of the stage of capitalist development.

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