In the evening of 15 July 2016, a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces of 8500 soldiers, organized as the Peace at Home Council, attempted a coup d'état against state institutions, including the government and president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. They attempted to seize control of several places in Ankara, Istanbul, Marmaris and elsewhere, such as the Asian side entrance of the Bosphorus Bridge, but failed to do so after forces and civilians loyal to the state defeated them. The Council cited an erosion of secularism, elimination of democratic rule, disregard for human rights, and Turkey's loss of credibility in the international arena as reasons for the coup. The same night Erdogan stated that they had evidence the coup leaders were linked to the Gülen movement, which he designated as a terrorist organization in May 2016. The Gulen movement was led by Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish businessman and a well-known Islamic scholar who lived in exile in Pennsylvania. The Turkish government alleged that Gülen was behind the coup and that the United States was harboring him. In response Gulen has called for an international commission to investigate the failed coup and said he would accept the findings if such a body found evidence of his guilt. In contrast, the Erdoğan government did not even agree to the proposal for a national parliamentary committee to investigate the events of July 15.

Events surrounding the coup attempt and the purges in its aftermath reflect a complex power struggle between Islamist elites in Turkey.

During the coup attempt, over 300 people were killed, and more than 2,100 were injured. Turkish government claimed that many government buildings, including the Turkish Parliament and the Presidential Palace, were bombed from the air, however independent journalists like Ahmet Nesin argued that the marks seen in the photos of the parliament building, such as burns, holes or damage to the surrounding structures do not match what would be expected from a missile or airstrike, therefore he finds such claims absurd.

The next morning Erdogan called the coup attempt "a gift from God" and started his mass arrests and purges, with at least 40,000 detained in the first days, including at least 10,000 soldiers and 2,745 judges (who were arrested the next morning on 16 July), for being affiliated with the coup attempt. 15,000 education staff were also suspended and the licenses of 21,000 teachers working at private institutions were revoked after the government stated they were loyal to Gülen. More than 77,000 people were arrested and over 160,000 fired from their jobs, on reports of connections to Gülen. Since the 2016 coup attempt, approximately 2 million people have been investigated and 500,000 detained on terrorism-related charges in Turkey until 2022. 15 universities and 35 hospitals, 1226 charities, more than 1000 schools were shut down due to alleged links to the movement on 23 July 2016.

There were many reactions against the coup attempt, both domestically and internationally. The main opposition parties in Turkey condemned the attempt, while several international leaders—such as those of the United States, NATO, the European Union, and neighboring countries—called for "respect of the democratic institutions in Turkey and its elected officials." Many international organizations also opposed the coup. The United Nations Security Council, however, did not denounce the coup after disagreements over the phrasing of a statement. Iran opposed the coup and advised Erdogan to defeat the coup plotters.

In March 2017, Germany's intelligence chief said Germany was unconvinced by Erdoğan's statement that Fethullah Gülen was behind the failed coup attempt. The same month, the British Parliament's Foreign Affairs Select Committee said some Gulenists were involved in the coup d'état attempt but found no hard evidence that Fethullah Gülen masterminded the failed coup and found no evidence to justify the United Kingdom designating the Gülen movement as a "terrorist organization".

On July 18, 2016, historian Michael Rubin compared the coup attempt to previous ones, highlighting several key differences and its overall absurdity. He later referred to the coup attempt as "Turkey's Reichstag Fire", suggesting that it had been staged by Erdoğan himself. Unlike previous coups, which typically occurred in the early morning hours between 3 and 4 a.m. while the population was asleep, this attempt took place at 9 p.m. Furthermore, there was no civilian resistance in prior coup attempts. This coup also stands out as no politicians were arrested, a stark contrast to previous events where hundreds were detained. The coup was announced by a female TV anchor, a stark contrast to past coups where military commanders publicly claimed responsibility on national television.

Since the 1970s, followers of the influential cleric Fethullah Gülen had assumed increasingly important positions within the Turkish state apparatus. Gülen several times advised his followers to take key positions in society and government, if necessary with a secret identity to avoid opposition from the laicistic Turkish army and government. Nevertheless, at the start of the 21st century, Gülen's followers achieved crucial positions of power in Turkey (and beyond) with a vast network of newspapers, TV channels, schools, associations, lobby organizations, financial institutions and positions within the state such as the army and the judiciary. Initially, the then Prime Minister Erdoğan seemingly tolerated the power of the Gülen movement because of common interests such as limiting the undemocratic political power of the military, but also because of impotence and fear of Gülen's power within Turkey.