1001 MASKS OF TURKISH ITTIHADISM IN A CENTURY

Book excerpt: In the early 1900s, the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) committed the Armenian Genocide as part of their pursuit of Pan-Turkist and Pan-Islamist aspirations known as "ittihadism." The CUP also sought to Turkify non-Muslim property, reminiscent of the Aryanization program in Nazi Germany that targeted Jewish assets. The ittihadist dream was shattered when the Ottoman Empire collapsed following their defeat in the Great War. Established in 1923 as an ittihadist project, the Republic of Turkey adopted "ittihadism" as its fundamental ideology as well. The desire to reach Central Asia and unite with other Turkic nations was initially reignited during World War II. Nonetheless, the dream was once again crushed when Nazi Germany was defeated on the Eastern Front. The collapse of the Soviet Union brought back the aspiration once more. This book provides an in-depth examination of the major events in the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey over a century, placing particular emphasis on the Armenian Genocide, the ongoing Cyprus dilemma, and the Kurdish minority issue. By unraveling the reasoning behind these events, the book provides insight into the worldview of the current Turkish government, led by President Erdoğan and his AK Party, and the transformation of "ittihadism" into "neo-ittihadism" under their leadership.