ABSTRACT
Being an important part of a governance mechanism, elites not only influence decision-making processes in terms of their place in society but also direct these processes and draw formal boundaries. Political elites or elite groups, which shape decision-making behaviour in continuity, develop by replacing each other temporally/periodically. This cycle, which Vilfredo Pareto calls “the circulation of elites”, expresses the elite profile of each nation, society or universe, era, and period in its own conjuncture. Indeed, determining the circulation among the political elites, who are the pioneers of Turkish political life, is important in terms of both their personal backgrounds and their social positions. While such a determination allows us to evaluate the administrative qualities of Turkish society more comprehensively based on individual and social characteristics, it also paves the way for an objective perspective on all economic, military, sociological, psychological, cultural, and political aspects. This study aims to determine the extent to which Pareto’s theory of elite circulation is visible in Turkish politics. In the study, the members of the cabinet (political elites) who served between the 58th and 67th terms were selected as a sample and these individuals were examined within the framework of circulation of elites.