SHADES OF RED: RETHINKING THE CONTROVERSIAL PLACE OF İŞTİRAKÇİ HİLMİ IN TURKISH SOCIALISM THROUGH HIS PRESS ACTIVITIES AND HISTORIOGRAPHY

The temporary spring of freedom that followed the 1908 Revolution provided socialist organizations which had long struggled against censorship, exile and punishment, with an opportunity to bring socialism to the public. Although socialist organizations led by various non-Muslim groups had existed in the empire for some time, they were mostly distant from the Ottomanism. The socialist struggle of Hüseyin Hilmi Bey and his circle who organized workers and introduced them to ideas such as syndicate, strikes and revolution was influenced by the strikes that spread throughout the empire after the 1908 Revolution and emphasized Turkish/Muslim elements and followed an Ottomanist line. They began by conveying the socialist struggle to the public through the newspaper İştirak and carried it into the political arena with the Ottoman Socialist Party. However, they have often been subjected to insults and denigration in studies on Turkish socialism. Studies criticizing this attitude attempt to explain the issue primarily through ideological partisanship. Based on document analysis, this study argues that the problem stems from liberal historiography and methodological nationalism. Therefore, it seeks to pave the way for alternative studies by criticizing existing historiographical traditions.