Adnan Menderes' election to power in 1950 signaled a new epoch in the history of modern Turkey. For the first time, a democratic government ruled the country, challenging the political monopoly of the Kemalist elites. However, this period was short-lived. In 1960, Turkey's army staged a coup d'etat and Menderes was hanged the following year. Here, Mogens Pelt examines the era of the rule of the Democratic Party and the legacy of the military intervention that brought it to an end. Although the armed forces officially returned power to the civilians in 1961, this intervention allowed the...