Today’s situation is unique to the modern era around us, though with roots that go back not to Turkish history, but to Prussian military discipline. While the 19th century saw the modernization of the military, the leaders of the time entered into an all-encompassing search for new directions to take, using every method they could. When the end of the century arrived, a decision was rendered to follow the Prussian model. World War I, which brought the Ottoman State to an end, was overseen by a military that fought both psychically and organizationally according to the Prussian model. And in fact, the new republic internalized this model. In the wake of the May 27, 1960, coup, the military traditions imbued by the army ranks were made sovereign over society as a whole. The order of military guardianship in Turkey is thus a transformation of the Prussian military tradition into a state model.
In general, militarization took place in the arena of education. Curriculums and practices were reconstructed within the framework of a military approach. These strict implementations, which came largely during coup periods, are being eliminated one by one these days. Following the cancellation of the fascistic, mass celebrations that have taken place in stadiums to mark the May 19 youth and sports holidays up until now, the National Education Ministry has now turned its attentions to lessons included in standard school curriculums. The elimination of the lesson called “National Security” offered in schools and taught directly by uniformed officers is a very important step for anti-militarization.
In fact, these lessons are one of the very concrete symbols of militarization in the Turkish education system. But they are just one symbol. In fact, the truth is that our entire educational system has been shaped according to the military approach we see so starkly in the “National Security” lessons. So many elements of the system come straight out of the military, from the way students must jump to their feet and stand at attention the moment the teacher enters the classroom, to the fact that they can sit only when given permission by said teacher. Also, the oft-used commands of “at ease” and “ready” as well as the marches to certain steps and speeds; these are also from the military. All of these elements enter deeply into education itself. The goal of an educational system carried out according to a militaristic approach is to accustom children to discipline. Thus the teacher is charged more with disciplining his or her students than passing on information. When the priority is placed on military discipline, the information to be learned becomes not information to help students with life, but rather to help them maintain strict discipline.
What militarism really means is the shaping of society, the economy and the educational system according to the needs of the military. And at the top of the list of priorities comes various defense needs. During times of peace, society is organized according to these needs. And thus emerges an army that plays an extremely influential role in both political and social life. The natural outcomes of this situation are reflected in societal culture. Since war is organized violence, societal culture accepts violence as legitimate. And cultural societal actors, who actually represent a rich pluralism in the nation, are reduced to two groups, friend and enemy. Society becomes tied to a hierarchical structure that operates on a chain of command and action. Military values get transformed into societal values. The civilian arena loses its relative autonomy and bows its neck to military hegemony. And quite naturally, there remain no arenas in which democracy can actually thrive. Hierarchy and discipline make freedoms appear to be unnecessary luxuries.
Militarism also gives life to an ideology of its own. And this ideology, which fits the military like a snug glove, is racism. When one carries over the answer to the military question of “Who is the enemy?” into political and social arenas, racist hostilities can be easily created. And of course, an enemy is an absolute necessity if one is to overcome the enemy. When you begin looking for enemies in your close surroundings, according to this military approach, the first thing you start examining is ethnic roots. When you find your enemy, you move straight on to the next stage: getting rid of the enemy. This is of course the reason why societal violence is a direct result of militarism.
There is quite a long way to go yet on the anti-militarization front in our educational system. These are just the first steps.
