1980 Turkish coup d'état

The 1980 Turkish coup d'état (Turkish: 12 Eylül Darbesi), headed by Chief of the General Staff General Kenan Evren, was the third coup d'état in the history of the Republic of Turkey, the previous having been the 1960 coup and the 1971 coup by memorandum.

1980 Turkish coup d'état
Part of the Cold War

Daily newspaper Hürriyet's headline on 12 September 1980: "The army has seized the government."
Date12 September 1980
Location
Turkey
Result
Belligerents

National Security Council

  • Turkish Armed Forces

Government of Turkey

Opposition of Turkey
Commanders and leaders
Kenan Evren
Nurettin Ersin
Tahsin Şahinkaya
Nejat Tümer
Sedat Celasun
Süleyman Demirel
Bülent Ecevit

During the Cold War era, Turkey saw political violence (1976–1980) between the far-left, the far-right (Grey Wolves), the Islamist militant groups, and the state. The violence saw a sharp downturn for a period after the coup, which was welcomed by some for restoring order by quickly executing 50 people and arresting 500,000, of which hundreds would die in prison.

For the next three years the Turkish Armed Forces ruled the country through the National Security Council, before democracy was restored with the 1983 Turkish general election. This period saw an intensification of the Turkish nationalism of the state, including banning the Kurdish language. Turkey partially returned to democracy in 1983 and fully in 1989.

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