ABSTRACT
After declaring its national sovereignty on April 23, 1920, Türkiye pursued policies that were compatible with religion. During this period, it can be said that the state operated within the framework of the paradigm of adaptation/accommodation in religious policies. However, as of March 3, 1924, this paradigm was replaced by the paradigm of domination. From this point on, the state began to implement a more imposing approach to secularism. Consequently, a control regime over religion was established by the state and government. This control regime, which persisted throughout the one-party period, continued until 1946. After World War II, the government adopted more moderate religious policies in order to use religion as a tool against communism and to prevent the public from aligning with the newly established Democratic Party (DP). As a result, the state abandoned the paradigm of domination in religious policies and shifted towards the paradigm of control. In 1950, when the DP came to power, the moderate steps in religious policies increased. Specifically, the DP abolished certain religious practices that it believed were unpopular. On the other hand, the DP did not hesitate to use secularism as a punitive measure against political parties and individuals who were dissatisfied with the existing religious policies and demanded greater religious freedoms. This article argues that the state’s religious policies were based on the paradigm of domination between 1924 and 1946, and on the paradigm of control between 1946 and 1960.