This article focuses on Fuat Köprülü's contribution to the Turkish intellectual and political life. Köprülü, who actively participated in political and academic institutions since the Second Constitutional Period, played an important role in shaping the intellectual life of the time through his researches, writings and participation. Köprülü's writings, especially those on the Turkish history which came out in the late Ottoman and early Republican period constituted the basis of the Turkish Historical Theory which was to become quite popular in the Turkish academic circles in the 1930s. Interestingly enough, one of his invisible contributions was his effort to introduce the Turkic intellectuals who immigrated to Turkey from Russia and Central Asia after the Russian Revolution, to the Turkish intellectual elites. His political life began in 1935. However, his active engagement in politics took place in 1945 when he joined the new opposition movement, Democrat Party. His political writings between 1945-50 made a great deal of contribution to the development of the Turkish democratic experience. He also continuously kept a place in the Turkish governments as the foreign minister between 1950-57.
ABDÜLKERİM ASILSOY