The Democrat Party (DP), which opened a new era in Turkish political life, expanded its political base with its rhetoric and came to power with the 14 May 1950 elections. Positioning itself in the centre-right, the party became the representative of the conservative understanding in political thought. After World War II, the United States of America (USA) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) emerged as substantial balances of power in world politics. Trying to direct its foreign policy in the face of these two powers, Turkey took a stance on the side of the USA and western states against the Soviet expansionist attitude (revision of the Montreux Straits Convention, demanding Kars and Ardahan). The foreign policy practices that Turkey followed in favor of the western states continued to be implemented during the DP period as well. The study aims to examine and evaluate the strategy of the DP, positioned on a conservative line in the political field, in the Turkish foreign policy in line with its conservative thinking, therefore. At the end of the study, actions taken on issues such as the power of representation and security of the state, self-determination, equality, and protection of national values would appear as probable results.

Turkish Political Life, Turkish Foreign Policy, Democrat Party, Conservative Thinking