| Summary/Abstract |
This study examines the struggle over regulation in the Turkish tobacco market from 1938 to 1960 based on a variety of primary sources. The extensive intervention through the state monopoly was incapable of eliminating severe conflicts among market actors, which triggered heated public debates on regulation. As a solution, tobacco experts proposed establishing cooperatives, exchange markets, and a bank. For this purpose, Turkish governments imposed a compulsory levy on tobacco producers for eleven years. Despite years-long discussions, many legislative attempts, and a significant fund collected from producers, the projected institutions were never established. The failure of institutional reform shows the limits of state intervention even in a seemingly heavily regulated crop market, and the policy-shaping impacts of social actors other than the state. This article contributes to the modern Turkish historiography by revealing the specific power configuration between the state and contending groups, instead of taking omnipotence of the state for granted.
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