LOOKING AT THE MILITARY COUP OF 27 MAY 1960 FROM THE THEORETICAL THEORY OF DIFFERENCE

This study examines the military coup of May 27, 1960 in Turkey within the framework of Samuel P. Huntington's theories on civil-military relations. Huntington's concepts of "objective civilian control" and "pretorian society" provide an important framework for making sense of the coup. According to Huntington, professionalized militaries should focus on their mandate of security and not interfere in politics. However, the 1960 coup shows that the military in Turkey moved away from professionalism and took action to control the civilian sphere. In a pretorian society, the involvement of social groups in politics leads to conflicts. In Turkey, the military chose direct intervention instead of democratic processes. The social, economic and political tensions during the DP government period were the main elements that legitimized the military's intervention. The military's search for constitutional guarantees after the coup shows the long-term effects of this intervention. According to Huntington's theory, in countries where the boundaries between the military and politics are not clearly demarcated, coups become inevitable. The study is based on a comparative analysis of the existing literature. In this study, the 1960 coup d'état is evaluated as an event that increased the military's control over the civilian administration in Turkey. Key Words: 1960 Military Coup, Huntington, Institutional Separation Theory.