1960 Turkish coup d'état
Kemal Mustafa, better known as Ataturk, was president of Turkey from the founding of his political party that ruled under a single party system, the Republican People's Party (RPP), in 1923 until his death in 1938. Still, after Ataturk’s death, the RPP kept its hold over the government.  The RPP continued in power but did not actually fulfill its promises, therefore Turkish people became discontent with Ataturk’s authoritarian regime and were ready to embrace political change.  In that context the elections of 1950 played a key role in Turkey's democracy. The political tide changed when the Democratic Party (DP) took the lead not only in the elections but also in popular acceptance. This popular acceptance towards the DP came from their representation including rural citizens in comparison to the elite that governed through the RPP's government. The 1950 elections were also the first free elections that had been held in Turkey, and thus it would bring a democratically chosen government into power after years of Ataturk's and the RPP's regime in office. The DP won the elections, placing Adnan Menderes as Prime Minister.