Abstract:

There was a negative economic legacy from the Ottoman Empire to the Turkish Republic. The economic structure under the control of the Düyun-u Umumiye led to the malicious use of the monopoly system. This understanding, which was based on the limited sale of goods at high prices, led to an increase in smuggling. The economic collapse also led to moral collapse. Ottoman society started to feel entitled to smuggling in response to the unfair practices of the Düyun-u Umumiye. One of the tax items in the Düyun-u Umumiye Administration was salt product. The administration aimed not to develop the salt field but to increase its taxes. With the start of the War of Independence, an attempt was made to increase financial resources by increasing the salt tax. The Republic Administration had to adopt the monopoly system in the production and sale of salt due to economic necessities. However, the Kemalist staff tried to modernize the salt industry and began to reduce the prices of salt, which is important for health, in the process. This study aims to reveal why a basic consumer item such as salt was included in the monopoly during the single-party period and what kind of gains were achieved thanks to this practice. In addition, it will reveal how the monopoly system applied in the single-party period differs from the monopoly system applied during the Ottoman Empire. This study is mainly based on the minutes of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, archival documents, the official newspaper, the relevant legislation and periodicals of the period.

Keywords: