CHP's founding values are not just a historical legacy; they are a guide that sustains the party and society. Each of the 6 arrows shapes the identity and spirit of our party. Today, however, simply saying “let's return to the founding values” is not enough to convince either the base or the general electorate.
This is where the principle of revolutionism comes into play. Revolutionism is a bridge that connects the values of the past with the problems of today. It is not only an ideological commitment, but the basis of concrete and future-oriented policies. Founding values + revolutionism = a vision that shapes the future with the strength of the past.
Given Turkey's current voter base, emphasizing history or ideology alone is not effective. Voters are interested in issues that affect their daily lives such as economic crisis, social inequality, education and security. This is where the CHP's power perspective becomes clear: A policy based on founding values and the spirit of revolutionaryism motivates the grassroots while also appealing to undecided voters who are open to change.
This perspective transforms the party from merely being tied to the memory of the past to a movement that produces concrete solutions for the future. When the CHP's base perceives the founding values not only as a nostalgic attachment, but also as a revolutionary vision that produces solutions to current problems, this discourse merges with the goal of power and appeals to large segments of the electorate.
Kilicdaroglu Period Applied Revolutionism
During Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's presidency, the principle of revolutionism was at the forefront in the context of concrete reform and social change. The party brought issues such as income distribution, education, health and democracy to the agenda and produced policies that combined the values of the past with the problems of the present.
In this approach, revolutionism was felt not only as an ideological commitment, but also as a practical and socially relevant vision. While the grassroots was motivated by these principles, the party was also able to appeal to undecided voters who were open to change. In short, during the Kılıçdaroğlu era, revolutionism was a concrete indicator of the CHP's capacity to produce future-oriented policies.
Özgür Özel Era: Everyday Politics and Declining Visibility
Özgür Özel's period of prominence was shaped more around the internal opposition in parliament and the management of daily politics. In this period, the revolutionary principle was not as visible as the ideological and reform-oriented discourse of the past. The party acted mostly on daily issues and campaign-oriented discourses.
In this context, the revolutionary spirit remained in the background; the message conveyed to the grassroots and society was centered on reacting to existing problems rather than emphasizing ideological commitment and reform. As a result, the principle of revolutionism was less visible and had a limited impact during the Özgür Özel period compared to the Kılıçdaroğlu period.
Analytical Evaluation and Power Perspective
Under Kılıçdaroğlu, revolutionism, combined with concrete reforms and social vision, had gained a visibility that encompassed both the base and the general electorate.
Under Özgür Özel, revolutionism was limited to daily politics and parliamentary activities, and its ideological and reform-oriented visibility diminished.
This comparison shows that the principle of revolutionism in the CHP is shaped according to the leader's approach and agenda priorities, while its visibility is directly related to the party's message to its base and the society in general.
To summarize, the CHP's strength and path to power lies in upholding the founding values + combining the spirit of revolutionism with today's problems. With this vision, both the spirit of the party is preserved and a policy that offers hope and solutions to society is presented. Because political success is possible not only through belonging and ideology, but also through vision and concrete policies that shape the future.