THE ROLE OF ULTRANIONALIST FORCES IN THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE OF TURKEY IN THE PERIOD 1980–1999

The article discusses the activities of the ultranationalist groups in the Turkish Republic in the period 1980–1999, specifically focusing on the Nationalist Movement Party (NMP; it functioned under various names between 1983 and 1993) and the Grey Wolves youth organization. Both organizations were led by Alparslan Türkeş, a former colonel in the Turkish military and participant in the military coup of 1960. After his death in 1997, the leadership passed to Devlet Bahçeli. The purpose of the article is to examine and analyze various aspects of the activities of the NMP and the Grey Wolves in the specified period. The study is based on the principles of historicism, determinism, and objectivity. Traditional methods of historical research (idiographic, historical-genetic, etc.) are used. The historical background for this study is formed by works primarily written by Turkish scholars, and the works of Russian researchers are also considered. The study examines the consequences of the 1980 military coup for the far-right movement in Turkey and reviews the political activities of the ultranationalist parties, as well as their electoral performance in the period 1983–1999. The author concludes that, although ultranationalist organizations have never been the dominant actors in Turkish politics, they played a significant role in shaping the political and social climate of the country. The exacerbation of the Kurdish issue at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, the efforts of the party leaders to create a positive political image and the failures of rivals contributed to the gradual rise in support for the NMP in the 1990s.. This allowed the party to emerge as a major force in Turkish politics and even take second place in parliamentary elections in 1999.