June 1, 2026

The “darkest hour” captures a moment when things are at their worst. Türkiye’s 1950 general election, which brought the Democratic Party (DP) to power, was a major step toward democracy. During the twenty-seven years, a very short span of time, from the founding of the Republic to the 1950 election, Türkiye struggled to move beyond centuries of decadent Ottoman rule, realized fundamental reforms under Atatürk’s leadership, which charted a new path for our country, and successfully dealt with the challenges of the Second World War under President İnönü.