Free Thinking

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Free Thinking: Turkey: Adnan Menderes, populism, and history

Turkey: Adnan Menderes, Populism and Istanbul's History

Turkey: Adnan Menderes, populism, and history

BBC Radio 4 - Free Thinking, Turkey: Adnan Menderes, populism, and history

Having survived a plane crash, the Turkish prime minister 1950-60 died in an execution.

Matthew Sweet talks to author Jeremy Seal about the way Adnan Menderes mobilised democracy, populism, and religious beliefs, and looks at new research into the Ottoman Empire.

Before his execution in 1961, the Turkish prime minister Adnan Menderes saw Turkey admitted to Nato, investment in agriculture, education and health care but also conflict with the Greek community. On 17 February 1959 he was involved in a plane crash near Gatwick on his way to a conference about Cyprus. Jeremy Seal traces his story and looks at the parallels with President Erdogan's Turkey now in a new book. He talks with journalist and author Ece Temelkuran and presenter Matthew Sweet. Plus new research on the Ottoman Empire from Michael Talbot and Nilay Ozlu.

Jeremy Seal's book A Coup in Turkey: A Tale Of Democracy, Despotism & Vengeance In A Divided Land is out now. 

Ece Temelkuran is the author of How To Lose A Country: The 7 Steps From Democracy To Dictatorship; Turkey - The Insane & The Melancholy; novel The Time Of Mute Swans; and a forthcoming book, Together: 10 Choices For A Better Now.

Michael Talbot is an historian at the University of Greenwich and a BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinker.

Nilay Ozlu is an architectural historian and Chevening Postdoctoral Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies.

Matthew Sweet's journey on London's 29 bus route with researchers looking at the history of the Greek Cypriot Community in London: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00014qk 

Ece Temelkuran on Dictators, alongside Francesca Santoro L'hoir who acted alongside Chaplin as a child, Peter Pomerantsev and Frank Dikotter:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0009bf3

Interviews with Turkish author Elif Shafak: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00066qd; and at the Free Thinking Festival https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04nqtrt 

Alev Scott and Michael Talbot on the Ottoman Empire: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0000qj7 

Producer: Emma Wallace

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Free Thinking

Turkey: Adnan Menderes, populism, and history

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