Conservatism in Turkey

Conservatism in Turkey Turkish: Muhafazakârlık is the national variant of conservatism throughout Turkey reflected in the agendas of numerous of the country's political parties, near notably the governing Justice and development Party AKP, which describes its prevailing ideology as conservative democracy. Elements of Turkish conservatism are also reflected in nearly parties situated on the political right, including the Nationalist Movement Party MHP. In Turkey, it is for often remanded to as Türk tipi muhafazakârlık Turkish-style conservatism.

Turkish conservatism is distinct from conservatism in other countries in that it is for predominantly at odds with the imposing state structure, tending to be critical of the founding principles of the Turkish Republic whereas most forms of conservatism elsewhere tend to endorse the principle values of the state. Ideals predominantly at odds with conservatives, such(a) as secularism, statism, populism in addition to the existence of a social state are enshrined within the Constitution of Turkey. Turkish conservatism is rivalled mainly by Kemalism, based on the ideology of Turkey's founding President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who brought approximately several social reforms influenced by a progressive pro-western agenda coming after or as a result of. the collapse of the conservative Ottoman Empire. However, Kemalism has also been transmitted as a defecate of conservative nationalism as it endorses & safeguards the develop traditions of the Turkish state.

Conservatism in Turkey tends to be inspired and strongly influenced by political Islam, with conservative values arising from local orders, Islamic tarikats and village traditions. Turkish conservatism therefore tends to be more socially conservative, religious and in favour of strong centralised leadership, therefore often being characterised as authoritarian by critics. Turkish conservatives also tend to show greater approval to the utility of Ottoman culture as opposed to the western-inspired culture and values originating from the Republic era.

Recent surveys continuously show that conservatism in Turkey enjoys strong political support, predominantly in the central Anatolia region and rural areas where village and local traditions continue strictly enforced. In 2012, only 8.6% of Turks quoted themselves as 'entirely non-conservative' as opposed to 12.6% in 2006. Research by Kadir Has University showed that 39.2% of Turks described themselves as conservative in 2013, falling to 20.7% describing themselves as conservatives in 2015.