Civilian Support and Military Unity in the Outcome of Turkish and Greek Interventions

Abstract

This article attempts to explain the divergent domestic roles of the Greek and Turkish militaries after the early 1980s by focusing on the last overt military interventions. The 1967 intervention in Greece and the 1980 coup in Turkey differed from each other in terms of the amount and nature of political autonomy that each military maintained immediately following each country's transition to democracy. Indeed, in each country, the transition process had a significant impact on civil-military relations in the succeeding years. The Greek junta faced civilian and military resistance, and, therefore, the colonels were pressured to completely withdraw from politics. The Turkish coup, on the other hand, was carried out by a cohesive military and was at least implicitly endorsed by a number of influential civilians. This allowed the military to withdraw voluntarily, guide the transition, and maintain political autonomy after 1983.