The book has demonstrated how political leaders have played a key role in the failings of the country's democratic system over seventy years of multi-party politics. Understanding their overwhelming drive for power is critical, if we are to understand the nature of political developments in Turkey: the outcomes of their beliefs, values and choices have largely shaped the path that Turkish democracy has followed. Although Turkey has had institutional provisions which are required for democratic consolidation, the elites have not harmonised these formal rules, mechanisms and processes with the required beliefs, values and practices. O’Donnell suggests that consolidation is achieved when there is a close match between the practices of the elites and the formal democratic institutions and processes. Yet, throughout Turkey's political history, the elites have overwhelmingly failed to fulfill these requirements.

Indeed, some leaders did make contributions that supported democracy. As Chapter 1 shows, Menderes and Bayar played a significant role in Turkey's democratisation – they broke the CHP's monopoly on power and helped open the door to a multi-party system. Their efforts introduced the rural masses to their political importance and stake in the democratic processes. Demirel's humble origins made him sensitive to the needs of the rural population. He often chose to accommodate the military to maintain the parameters of civilian politics. This was reflected in the immediate aftermath of the post- 1960 coup, when he played a crucial role in navigating the democratic regime through a highly turbulent period between the military and civilian politics, as noted in Chapter 2. With Ecevit, mainstream politics was introduced to merkez-sol (centre-Left) ideals and policies. A minister under İnönü's coalition governments of the early 1960s, he championed policies to address the needs of workers, peasants and farmers, who remained at the forefront of his politics of social equality throughout the 1970s (see Chapter 3). And Özal did away with many taboo subjects and encouraged others to debate them freely, such as the Kurdish question, proposing a political solution to an issue that until that point had been seen through a strictly securitised lens. At the same time, his economic liberalisation created spaces for democratic growth in certain areas, touched upon in Chapter 4.