The religious issue in the Republic of Turkey in the 1950s

Abstract

In this article, based on the principles of historicism and objectivity, the authors consider the measures aimed at solving the religious issue by the government of A. Menderes in Turkey in the 1950s and 1960s. Acute social contradictions in Turkish society were caused by the issue of laicism policy. The separation of religion from the state with the confiscation of a huge material base from the clergy, the closure of theological educational institutions significantly undermined the authority and influence of the Turkish clergy on the socio-political life of the country. In the second half of the 50s, a gradual process of curtailing socio-economic reforms took place, and the Islamic factor is beginning to be actively used in politics. Thus, the authors of the article concluded that religious policy focused on the Islamization of the country.