Studies in Human Society
Democracy and Modernity: International Colloquium on the Centenary of David Ben-Gurion
KolektifSözler ve Alıntılar
Metin Heper
A viable democracy needs not only autonomous political parties, but also autonomous social groups.
Sayfa 147
Metin Heper
During the Ottoman period the opening up of the system was understood as the liberation of the bureaucratic elite from the Sultan’s personal rule. During most of the Republican period, democracy was perceived as the liberation of the intellectual-bureaucratic elite from the ‘absolutism’ of the majority, allowing the bureaucratic elite to decide alone what was best for the country.
Sayfa 146
Metin Heper
In Turkey, the political leaders have not maintained their popularity, particularly among their followers, by pursuing the best policies and effectively implementing them; rather, it has been their role -and more specifically their heroic deeds- in the ongoing state-society confrontation that has preserved their prestige. Consequently, in contrast to the European countries, the Turkish political parties did not lose their legitimacy on account of the ineffectiveness of their policies. If anything, the reverse was true.
Sayfa 159 - 160
Metin Heper
The center in the Ottoman Empire, by extending itself, acted against the periphery without any allies.
Sayfa 149