From Acceptance to Rejection

One factor underlining the History of Turkish Republic is the long tradition of westernization project, which culminated in Turkey's application to the EEC for associate membership in 1959. However, this long tradition faced a stalemate when the major political actors chose to freeze Turkey's relations with the EEC in 1978. This book basically aims to explain the reasons underlining the decision for freezing the relations with the Community. Based upon the analysis of the historical facts reflecting the state society interaction during the 1960s and 1970s and the discourse analysis of the speeches of the policy makers as revealed in the Record Books of the General National Assembly of Turkey as well as the first hand books written by the leaders of the time, this book will attempt to demonstrate how anti-westernization sentiments that exacerbated in the late 1970s both at the society and the state level were critical in the formation of unfavorable policy choices against the EEC. Looking at these two critical periods is crucial to understand the factors underlining the recurrent crises-led relationship between Turkey and the EEC/EU even today.