Read on to know all about it.

• Let’s start with the context. The modern Turkish Republic was founded in 1923 after the demolition of the Ottoman empire. The new secular, democratic Turkey’s chief architect was Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, a former military officer committed to Kemalism – a form of democratic nationalism and hardline secularism.

• This principle guided Turkey till 1945, till the country’s one-party rule ended and a new government came to power. It saw a resurgence of Islam.
• In 1960, the Turkish military, which sees itself as the guardian of Kemalism, overthrew the new government. It was for protecting Turkey’s democracy from Islamic influence, the military said. 

• New governments subsequently came to power, but military “restored democracy” every time. It carried out similar coup in 1971, 1980 and 1997.

• In 2003, Tayyip Erdogan, the current president, came to power. Head of a moderate Islamist party, he is seen by Kemalists as a threat to secularism. Erdogan is known to advise women on the number of children they should have, foster restrictions on alcohol, express moral outrage over male and female students living together in the same house or flat, change Turkish schools on Islamist lines and crack down on Turkey’s freedom of the press.
• Taking matter into its hands once again, a section of the military, if not the entire military, tried to overthrow the government for the fifth time in five decades on Friday, July 16.

• The coup leaders, who claimed to represent the view of the entire Turkish Army, again said they did it for democracy. Erdogan, however, was elected by 52% people of Turkey.
• The coup, it seems, has failed. Reports say it could be because the majority of the military seems to be on the side of Erdogan. The response from residents who took to streets in Erdogan too hints at his popularity. 
• For now, reports suggest this “military uprising” has further boosted Erdogan’s position. Meanwhile, Turkey remains in chaos with curfew imposed in many parts