Political Coups

Back in July of 2016, Turkey was thrust into the global spotlight for the failed coup attempt against Erdogan's government. The bloodiest coup in history, this time the attempt was very coordinated. Basically, thousands of soldiers and troops tried to storm the government and burn down things like bridges, etc, to try to seize power.

Fighter jets dropped bombs on their own country's buildings, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was kidnapped by his own bodyguards, and it seemed like this time it would go through. However, we have to remember we live in the modern age, with technology like social media. Within hours, citizens took to the streets to stop the rebels, and it worked. They failed.

It's not too clear who exactly started it, but the Turkish government blames Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric. He and Erdogan used to be allies, but that relations started faltering in the late 2000's, and it turned them bitter enemies with repeated attacks and arrests against each other. 6000 people have already been arrested, from soldiers to officers, to commanders. They claim that they want to protect democracy, and so a part of the army tried to take over the government. In the end, it failed.

So why would this have even happened? The Turkish army sees itself as a protector of some sort of democracy and secularism. Since 1960, there have actually already been 4 military coups. Furthermore, there is some tension between Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its political Islam versus other groups. It comes to no surprise that the government limits media and acts somewhat in an authoritarian way. The tension in Syria and other neighbors also relate to it, and jihadist attacks. Definitely related.

What does this mean, with two years having been gone by? Turkey is still shook from the incident, and thousands of people have not been able to find jobs. A lot more are on black lists, and the government has extended an even tighter control in attempts to curb the "terrorists" and "rebels". In fact, some say that the government did this on purpose to strengthen Erdogan's rule, but that seems quite unlikely. In the future, people may be inspired to rebel against their governments and try to fight back against repressive governments. The hard part is getting the military to turn against the government because that's what allowed this coup attempt happen.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43814077

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/12/turkey-failed-coup-attempt-161217032345594.html