Today in History – 12 August

The Liberal Republican Party is established

In Turkey’s first attempt to transition into a multiparty system, Ali Fethi Bey (Okyar) founded the Liberal Republican Party (Serbest Cumhuriyet Fırkası) on August 12, 1930. However, the party did not last for very long.

Turkey’s ambassador to Paris at the time, Ali Fethi Bey had returned to Turkey with his family on July 22, 1930 on his annual leave. Inviting his close friend Fethi Bey to Yalova, Mustafa Kemal shared with him his ideas on forming a new political party. The new party to be established would create a platform of free deabte at the Grand National Assembly with the liberal economic and political line it would follow and add fresh dynamism to the political life of the country.

Fethi Bey responded positively to the ideas of Mustafa Kemal, who named the new party to be established: Liberal Republican Party (Serbest Cumhuriyet Fırkası). Founded officially on August 12, 1930, the Liberal Republican Party soon generated a certain degree of interest and support from the public. However, the uncontrolled expansion of the party grassroots and the opposing leaders’ designs to use the new party for their own purposes drove SCF away from its founding principles. Thereupon, Fethi Bey announced the dissolution of the party on November 17, 1930.