Abstract:

With the end of the Second World War, some changes took place in Turkish politics. In 1945, the current environment became ready for the establishment of other parties other than the Republican People's Party. Being established in June 1945 and January 1946, the National Development Party and the Democrat Party entered Turkish politics. DP, the party that received the most votes after RPP in the 1946 elections, became the prominent opposition party against RPP. The Election Law, adopted on February 16, 1950, was implemented in the general election held on May 14, 1950, within the framework of the principles determined as single-stage, equal and secret ballot, and open classification. During the preparation phase of the 1950 elections, a significant part of the election campaigns was shaped around the views of the RPP government and the DP opposition. During the election preparations, while RPP adopted an attitude that prioritized the interests of the country, DP showed that it was moderate and wanted to reach power with the will of the people. The 1950 elections were one of the stages for the Democrat Party, which received a large number of votes in the 1946 elections, on the way to power. On the other hand, the RPP government was struggling to protect its power and not to lose the election. RPP and DP representatives agreed on the safe and fair elections. Many subjects and issues concerning the country were discussed in the election discourses. However, mutual criticism and promises were the main headlines in the discourse of the parties. Each party criticized the rival party and listed their promises that they would fulfill if they came to power. Lengthy criticisms and promises were included in the domestic trips and speeches of political party leaders and representatives. All parties wanted to reach the public and to show their closeness to them with their declarations. Before the 1950 elections, news about the election widely took place in the national press. The power of the press and its role in the elections was indisputably important. In this respect, the media that conveyed the campaign or propaganda to the widest areas and the public was the press. In this study, the pre-election attitude of the parties, especially RPP and DP, before the 1950 elections, which has a very important place in the establishment of multi-party life and democracy in Turkish political history, was tried to be evaluated. In the study, relevant archive documents, newspapers, and books were used.

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