Reuben Silverman on the rise and fall of Turkey’s Democrat Party
December 9, 2025
Turkey Book Talk #259 – Reuben Silverman on “The Rise and Fall of Turkey’s Democrat Party: The Cold War and Illiberalism, 1945–60” (Cambridge University Press).
It is an excellent book about a fascinating period in Turkish history. But it is a one that is often misremembered or misinterpreted in Turkey today.
Whether intended as criticism or praise, Erdogan’s AKP government is often placed in the lineage of the Democrat Party and Adnan Menderes, prime minister for 10 years before being overthrown in a military coup in 1960. However, as the book shows, “the line from the Democrat Party to the present day is neither as straight nor as flattering as Erdogan would have it be”.
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Read a transcript of the interview on Substack.
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Turkey Book Talk episode 168 – Reuben Silverman on “Borderline Personalities: Lives at the Political, Social and Geographic Edges of Modern Turkey” (Libra Books).
The book brings together pieces from his website largely focusing on figures from the social, political and cultural margins to illustrate broader themes of modern Turkish history.
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Also check out Reuben’s previous appearance on the podcast from May 2019.
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