Cooperatives in Turkey and Its Role in Social Development

Cooperatives are referred to as non-profit organizations. These organizations, which have a special structure, carry out activities for economic and social purposes. The institution called “Motherland Funds” in Turkey played an important role in national banking by forming the foundation of today's Ziraat Bank. This initiative also paved the way for the establishment of Agricultural Credit Cooperatives. The Homeland Funds, which existed in the period of Mithat Pasha, were inspired by the communal method, which is based on the principle of cooperation and which manifests itself in Turkish traditions. Being aware of the role of cooperatives in the development of the country, Turkey has pioneered the development of cooperatives and supported the congresses held in this field. The aim of this study is to examine cooperatives from a conceptual framework and to evaluate the emphasis on development in every aspect of society by making use of the newspapers of the period, archives, and main sources.

Cite this article as: Kılıç, S., & Aydoğan, E. (2022). Cooperatives in Turkey and its role in social development. Journal of Atatürk, 11(2), 45-50.