The History of the Republic of Turkey

Since 2023 was Turkeys centennial anniversary, scores of publications on modern Turkey were to be expected. Among the most welcome of these is Reinkowskis text. This translation and expanded version of his 2021 book provides a comprehensive history of Republican Turkey through the 2023 elections. The analysis of the coups, the complex political and economic environment, Cold War and postCold War pressures, and the ultimate success of Islamism, among other topics, allow readers to truly understand Turkey. ... Highly recommended. R. W. Zens, CHOICE Refreshingly, the author avoids the special pleading for Trkiye that too many specialists fall into, forthrightly referring to the Armenian genocide and to public and state antisemitism. History contains many insights. Here are two: Much more fundamental for the self-understanding of today's Turkey is that it was and is a place of refuge for millions of Muslim and Turkic refugees and migrants. Turkey ultimately stands for only itself. It is conspicuous that no other country offers an immediate comparison. Reinkowski's history of Trkiye over the past century deserves to become the standard account. Daniel Pipes, Middle East Quarterly Maurus Reinkowskis The History of Turkey: Grandeur and Grievance offers a critical retelling of Turkeys triumphs and tragedies, providing an empathic exploration of the countrys past over a century. This expertly crafted work illuminates the countrys moments of grandeur and delves into its deep-seated grievances. Through an engagement with state-of-the-art research, Reinkowskis keen eye for detail allows him to paint a vivid picture of Turkeys complex history, surpassing standard textbooks. In a time of political crisis, Reinkowskis engaging yet sober book offers a much-needed update to the perhaps overly optimistic scholarship of the last two decades. Impeccably researched and eloquently written, The History of Turkey: Grandeur and Grievance is an indispensable resource for scholars, students, and anyone seeking a critical understanding of Turkeys past, present, and future. Alp Yenen, Assistant Professor of Modern Turkish History and Culture, Leiden University In his thought-provoking introductory chapter, Maurus Reinkowski aptly observes that Turkey is a country that evokes anything but indifference. This rings acutely true in 2023, as Turkey not only faces presidential elections but also gears up to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic. The History of Turkey provides an invaluable companion to unlock the historical context of these events. Covering a period from 1912 to the present, the book offers a nuanced, meticulously researched and vividly narrated historical overview. It serves as a comprehensive and widely accessible guide to Turkish history and historiography that also features insightful discussions of Turkeys most recent decades. By skillfully embedding key developments within their broader historical and cultural contexts, the rich narrative invites readers to explore the complexity and diversity of Turkish history and allows them to recognize enduring legacies and reverberations of the processes depicted in the book. Barbara Henning, professor at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Ottoman and Turkish History This work is the culmination of some forty years of diligent language practice, intensive research, meticulous observation, and genuine engagement with the societies of Turkey. The result is a profound piece of scholarship with pages full of intellectually sophisticated analyses and magisterial detail that provide a new interpretation of the land, state, and people. Well-grounded in a wide range of old and new scholarship, it is a highly accessible account of Turkey from both a comparative and global perspective. This book will eloquently b

Maurus Reinkowski is Professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the Department of Social Sciences, University of Basel, Switzerland. He is a specialist in the history of the late Ottoman Empire and the modern Middle East. He has published on the early Israel-Palestine conflict, imperial order, conspiracy theories, conversion and crypto-religiosity.

Preface Introduction Farewell to the Ottoman Empire The Kemalist Republic, 19231950 Precarious Pluralism, 19501980 The Promise of Islamic Conservatism, 19802013 The Road to Another Republic, 2013the Present Update on Turkey in the Years 20212023 Acknowledgements Timeline Abbreviations Index