Coup d'état in Turkey on May 27, 1960 and U.S.-Turkey Relations

On May 27, 1960 Turkey was rocked by the coup d'état, inspired by national armed forces, which had serious consequences for its political system. Activities of political parties were banned, while rapid Islamization of Turkish society and politics was replaced by steps towards democracy. It is worth noting, that research interest is driven by the so-called American factor in the events of spring 1960. As a result, relations between the Republic of Turkey and the United States witnessed considerable shift. Researchers have expressed different opinions regarding the prerequisites and consequences of the coup d'état. American and Turkish historians believe that the main reason for the regime change in Turkey was de-liberalization of the political system and Islamization, while Soviet and Russian researchers believed that the military coup was determined by Turkey’s economic and political dependence on the United States. However, an analysis of various sources leads to the conclusion that the coup d'état, which was not controlled from the outside, made it possible to alter political and economic strategy of Turkey and move towards democratization. However, the 1960 Turkish coup led to stagnation in the US-Turkey relations.