Born at a time when Turkey is ruled by the secular elite, Recep Tayyip Erdogan joins an Islamist party and becomes hugely popular as mayor of Istanbul. But Turkey's constitution forbids the mixing of religion and politics, so when the party Erdogan belongs to is shut down, Erdogan is sent to jail and banned from being an MP for life.
A few months after his brutal crackdown on protestors in Istanbul's Gezi Park, Erdogan faces another challenge to his rule – a corruption scandal. Blaming it on his one-time ally, the cleric Fethullah Gulen, Erdogan continues to consolidate power, becoming president and transforming the office from a largely ceremonial role to a powerful executive position.
