Workers' Party of Turkey (1961)

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The Workers' Party of Turkey (Türkiye İşçi Partisi) was a Turkish political party, founded on 13 February 1961.^[1] It became the first socialist party in Turkey to win representation in the national parliament. It was banned twice (after the military coups of 1971 and 1980) and eventually merged with the Communist Party of Turkey in 1987.

During the inaugural press conference held on the day of its foundation, the founders declared that the mission of the party was "to protect the rights of the oppressed working class in Turkey" and that "members of the TİP, together with intellectuals, will work for the establishment of social security and will fully recognize and promote the right to strike."^[2]

Despite having advantages over other Marxist groups in terms of being the most widespread organization in the Turkish left, TİP was unable to establish an ideological, political, and organizational continuity which led to its gradual disintegration and failure to establish a lasting tradition.^[3] The party represented a more parliamentarian wing of the socialist movement in Turkey. It did not have the structure of a Leninist organization.