Soviet Studies on Turkey, 1917-1991: Institutional History and Analytical Perspectives
Tez Türü: Yüksek Lisans
Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Boğaziçi Üniversitesi, Atatürk İlkeleri Ve İnkılap Tarihi Enstitüsü, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Tarihi (Yl) (Tezli), Türkiye
Tez Danışmanı: Prof. Dr. Hakkı Zafer Toprak
Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2005
Tezin Dili: İngilizce
Özet:
Turkish studies represent one of the oldest and
most developed branches of Russian Oriental studies. The peculiarities of
Russian-Turkish relations and Russia’s consequent close interest in Turkey have
determined the fact. In the Soviet period, Turkish studies continued to develop
and showed steady proliferation and advance, because Turkey served for Soviet
Orientalist scholarship as a model in elaborating many of the problems of the
Third World. It stemmed from some peculiarities of Turkish development, namely,
the fact that Turkey won its political independent much earlier of the majority
of colonial and semi-colonial countries and had a long experience in capitalist
way of socioeconomic development. This thesis attempts a comprehensive history
of Soviet studies on Turkey, considering them within the context of the overall
development of Soviet Oriental studies. Along with institutional history, some
aspects of the Soviet analysis of Turkey are dealt with: the Soviet
interpretation of the two most important Soviet Turkologist scholarship themes,
the Turkish National Struggle and socioeconomic development of the Republic of
Turkey, is conveyed. It is indicated that Soviet studies on Turkey showed an
obvious continuity with the Tsarist Turkology in regard to the priorities of
investigation, as the same focus on contemporary issues and the primary engagement
with recent history and economics were the case. Soviet Turkology developed
parallel to the overall growth of Soviet Oriental studies and was characterized
by a quick response to the state’s demands and to the major trends of research.
As to the peculiarities of the Soviet analysis, the Turkish National Struggle
was considered by Soviet scholars as a bourgeois liberation revolution under
the leadership of the native merchant bourgeoisie and big land-owners and its
anti-people character was emphasized. The Soviet scholarship was of the opinion
that capitalism in Turkey was characterized by the middle level of development;
the strong state element; the existence of many feudal remnants and consequent
contradictions and disproportions in socioeconomic structure; and unequal
dependence on the world capitalist system.