Building Propaganda in Turkey: Propaganda Activities in the Rural Areas After May 27, 1960
Barış CelepSince the emergence of propaganda, governments have used this strategy as a crucial instrument to manipulate the masses. The National Unity Committee, formed in Turkey after the overthrow of the Democrat Party rule on May 27, 1960, began to conduct intensive propaganda activities; they mainly focused their political propaganda on villages, home to the majority of the population. The primary propaganda activities in villages announced the regime change on May 27, followed by a campaign to win “yes” votes in the constitutional referendum, requiring large-scale organization with different groups and tools. This study thus examines ways in which the National Unity Committee’s propaganda efforts reached the population between the military coup (May 27, 1960) and the constitutional referendum (July 9, 1961). It also evaluates the propaganda process through speeches, meetings, and theater and film screenings organized in villages by village teachers, imams, intellectuals, and university youth assigned by the National Unity Committee and through newspapers, brochures, and posters distributed to villagers.
Propagandanın Taşrada İnşası: 27 Mayıs 1960 Sonrası Köylerdeki Propaganda Faaliyetleri
Barış CelepPropaganda ortaya çıkışından itibaren iktidarların kitleleri yönlendirmek için kullandıkları en önemli aygıtlardan biri olmuştur. 27 Mayıs 1960’da Demokrat Parti iktidarının devrilmesi sonrasında oluşturulan Milli Birlik Komitesi de ilk iş olarak yoğun bir propaganda faaliyetine girişmiştir. Nüfusun büyük çoğunluğuna ev sahipliği yapması dolayısıyla bu siyasal propagandanın yürütüldüğü asıl sahalar ise köyler olmuştur. Önceleri 27 Mayıs ile birlikte yaşanan değişimi köylere taşımak sonrasında ise köylülere referandumda anayasaya evet dedirtebilmek için yürütülen propaganda faaliyetleri, farklı gruplar ve araçların kullanıldığı geniş çaplı bir organizasyon halini almıştır. Bu makalenin amacı 27 Mayıs 1960 ile 1961 anayasasının oylanacağı 9 Temmuz 1961 tarihleri arasında Milli Birlik Komitesi tarafından organize edilen propaganda faaliyetlerinin taşraya ne şekilde ulaştığını incelemektir. MBK tarafından taşrada görevlendirilen köy öğretmenleri, imamlar, aydınlar ve üniversite gençliği tarafından köylerde düzenlenen konuşmalar, toplantılar, tiyatro ve film gösterimleri ile köylülere dağıtılan gazete, broşür ve afişler üzerinden propaganda sürecinin değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır.
In Turkey, the military junta came to power after a coup d’état on May 27, 1960. Although the military junta, known as the National Unity Committee, faced many problems, it prioritized propaganda activities to ensure its legitimacy among the masses. As the majority of the population lived in the rural areas, the military government expanded its propaganda, particularly in the countryside. Newspapers constituted the most widely used channel in disseminating propaganda in this process. As newspapers did not reach many villages, the National Unity Committee began delivering newspapers to those locations. The military government also published its own newspaper (The Peasant Gazette/Köylü Gazetesi) to distribute to villages in an effort to increase its support. Due to the low literacy rates in such villages, officials also used films for propaganda purposes. The National Unity Committee Central Publication and Dispatch Office made films with overt propaganda messages about the military coup, presenting such propaganda films across the country. Theater was another form of propaganda used by the military government. The Turkish State Theatre and college students staged plays explaining why the army had to take over the government. Films, plays, and meetings in rural areas paved the way for the military regime to reach out to villagers, including the illiterate ones.
While the military government tried to reach villages through newspapers, films, plays, and meetings, it also co-operated with some groups. In particular, the military regime incorporated civil servants into its legitimacy efforts. Teachers constituted a prominent group in this process. In organized meetings, assigned teachers tried to persuade villagers to adopt claims that the former ruling party (i.e., the Democrat Party) was corrupt, thus making it necessary for the army to take over the administration. The National Unity Committee recognized imams as important actors, and hence, it co-operated with them in the propaganda process. In addition to providing religious advice, the imams had to make statements supporting the new regime. Although the military regime co-operated with imams in rural villages, the government also closely monitored their activities through the Diyanet and opened training courses for them. Training courses organized by the Committee for Dissemination of the Revolution and the Development of the Peasant also informed the imams about the importance of the military intervention on May 27. Some faculty members and students also contributed to the process of propaganda in rural areas. Through meetings sponsored by the regime, the government tried to increase villagers’ awareness of the new regime.
Although propaganda in the countryside decreased in significance over time, it again became the main issue of the military regime due to a constitutional referendum held on July 9, 1961. As the referendum represented an opportunity for the military regime to demonstrate its legitimacy, the government mobilized all its resources to avoid losing the referendum. Therefore, propaganda activities in the countryside resumed. The National Unity Committee again collaborated with faculty members, students, teachers, and imams in villages. In the most remarkable point in the referendum campaign, meetings replaced films and plays. The regime prepared brochures and booklets introducing the Constitution to the peasants. Teachers, faculty members, and students explained the Constitution through these propaganda instruments in the meetings. The booklets and brochures described ways in which the Constitution would change peasants’ everyday lives. Therefore, while introducing the Constitution, the regime emphasized regulations related to agriculture, such as land reforms. The government also focused on the notion that everyone was free to practice religion of their choice.