The Armenian Revolutionary Federation ( hy, Հայ Յեղափոխական Դաշնակցութիւն, ՀՅԴ
( classical spelling), abbr. ARF or ARF-D) also known as Dashnaktsutyun (collectively referred to as Dashnaks for short), is an
Armenian nationalist
Armenian nationalism in the modern period has its roots in the romantic nationalism of Mikayel Chamchian (1738–1823) and generally defined as the creation of a United Armenia, free, independent and united Armenia formulated as the Armenian Cause ...
and
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
political party founded in 1890 in
Tiflis
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...
,
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
(now
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...
,
Georgia) by
Christapor Mikaelian,
Stepan Zorian
Stepan Zorian (Armenian: Ստեփան Զօրեան, 1867–1919), better known by his ''nom de guerre'' Rostom (), was one of the three founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and a leader of the Armenian national liberation movement.
...
, and
Simon Zavarian
Simon Zavarian (Armenian: , also known by his ''nom de guerre'' Anton, ; 1866 – 1913) was a leader of the Armenian national liberation movement and one of the three founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, along with Kristapor Mikaeli ...
.
Today the party operates in
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
,
Artsakh,
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
and in countries where the
Armenian diaspora
The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...
is present. Although it has long been the most influential political party in the Armenian diaspora, it has a comparatively smaller presence in modern-day
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
.
As of October 2021, the party was represented in three national parliaments with ten seats in the
National Assembly of Armenia, three seats in the
National Assembly of Artsakh
The National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh ( hy, Արցախի Հանրապետության Ազգային ժողով, Artsakhi Hanrapetut'yan Azgayin zhoghov; often shortened: , ) is the legislative branch of the government of the Republic ...
and three seats in the
Parliament of Lebanon
The Lebanese Parliament ( ar, مجلس النواب, translit=Majlis an-Nuwwab; french: Chambre des députés) is the national parliament of the Republic of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year term in multi-member constit ...
as part of the
March 8 Alliance.
The ARF has traditionally advocated
socialist democracy and has been a full member of the
Socialist International
The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisations. ...
since 2003, which it originally joined in 1907.
Politically the ARF supports a socialism aligned with
Marxism
Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
.
[Terpandjian, Tigran.]
Armenian Revolutionary Federation: Nationalism & Socialism Mix
" University of Richmond, p. 10. "Socialism, specifically Marxism, the other influence on the ARF" In line with their Marxist socialist alignment, the ARF Program promotes a
materialist
Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materialis ...
conception of history stating "human beings and human societies, peoples and nations have aspired to freedom and equality and have struggled to attain them" and that the "natural and conscious struggle for the development of both individuals and societies has progressed through the interaction of the subjective and objective factors of life", the ARF program continued stating that the historical context is in both "national liberation struggles and human societies' evolutionary and revolutionary progress."
It has the largest membership of the political parties present in the Armenian diaspora, having established affiliates in more than 20 countries.
Compared to other diasporan Armenian parties which tend to primarily focus on educational or humanitarian projects, the ARF is the most politically oriented of the organizations and traditionally has been one of the staunchest supporters of
Armenian nationalism.
The party campaigns for the
recognition of the Armenian genocide
Armenian genocide recognition is the formal acceptance that the systematic massacres and forced deportation of Armenians committed by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, during and after the First World War, constituted genocide. Most hist ...
and the right to
reparations
Reparation(s) may refer to:
Christianity
* Restitution (theology), the Christian doctrine calling for reparation
* Acts of reparation, prayers for repairing the damages of sin
History
*War reparations
**World War I reparations, made from G ...
. It also advocates the establishment of
United Armenia, partially based on the
Treaty of Sèvres
The Treaty of Sèvres (french: Traité de Sèvres) was a 1920 treaty signed between the Allies of World War I and the Ottoman Empire. The treaty ceded large parts of Ottoman territory to France, the United Kingdom, Greece and Italy, as well ...
of 1920.
The ARF was founded as a merger of various Armenian political groups, mainly from the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
, with the declared goal of achieving "the political and economic freedom of Turkish Armenia" by means of armed rebellion.
In the 1890s, the party sought to unify the various small groups in the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
that were advocating for reform and defending Armenian villages from the massacres and banditry that were widespread in some of the Armenian-populated areas of the empire. ARF members formed ''
fedayi'' groups that defended Armenian civilians through armed resistance. The party refrained from revolutionary activity in the Russian Empire until the decision of the Russian authorities to confiscate Armenian Church property in 1903.
Initially restricting its demands to the establishment of autonomy and democratic rights for Armenians in the two empires, the party adopted an independent and united Armenia as part of its program in 1919.
In 1918, the party was instrumental in the creation of the
First Republic of Armenia
The First Republic of Armenia, officially known at the time of its existence as the Republic of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի Հանրապետութիւն), was the first modern Armenian state since the loss of Armenian statehood in the Middle ...
, which fell to the
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
communists in 1920.
After its leadership was exiled by the communists, the ARF established itself within
Armenian diaspora
The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...
communities, where it helped Armenians preserve their cultural identity.
After the fall of the
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
, it reestablished its presence in Armenia. Prior to
Serzh Sargsyan
Serzh Azati Sargsyan ( hy, Սերժ Ազատի Սարգսյան, ; born 30 June 1954)[Of ...](_blank)
's election as president of Armenia and for a short time thereafter, the ARF was a member of the governing coalition, even though it nominated its own candidate in the
presidential elections
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pr ...
.
ARF then reentered Sargsyan's cabinet in February 2016 in what was defined as a "long-term political cooperation" agreement with the Republican Party by means of which the ARF would share responsibility for all government policies.
The ARF then approved of Sargsyan's nomination as Prime Minister, from which he resigned six days later amid large-scale protests in what came to be known as the
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...
. By the evening of 25 April 2018, ARF-Dashnaktsutyun had withdrawn from the coalition.
Following the Velvet Revolution, the party lost support from the general public in Armenia and is now being polled at 1–2%. The party then lost political representation after
2018 Armenian parliamentary election
Snap parliamentary elections were held in Armenia on 9 December 2018, as none of the parties in the National Assembly were able to put forward and then elect a candidate for Prime Minister in the two-week period following the resignation of incum ...
after receiving only 3.89% of the votes, which is lower than the 5% minimum threshold required for representation in parliament.
During the
2020–2021 Armenian protests
The 2020−2021 Armenian protests (also known as the March of Dignity; hy, Արժանապատվության երթ, translit=Arzhanapatvut'yan yert') were a series of protests that began following the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement on 10 ...
, the party confirmed it would participate in the
2021 Armenian parliamentary election
Snap parliamentary elections were held in Armenia on 20 June 2021. The elections had initially been scheduled for 9 December 2023, but were called earlier due to a political crisis following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War and an alleged attempted ...
as part of a political alliance with
Reborn Armenia
Reborn Armenia ( hy, Վերածնվող Հայաստան, translit=Veratsnvogh Hayastan), also translated as Resurgent Armenia and Reviving Armenia, is an Armenian political party. It was founded on 20 March 2021 and is currently led by Vahe A. H ...
. In the election, the
Armenia Alliance
Armenia Alliance ( hy, Հայաստան դաշինք, Hayastan dashink’, HD) is an Armenian political alliance. It was founded in 2021 and is currently led by former President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan.
History
During the 2020–2021 Armenian ...
led by the second President of Armenia,
Robert Kocharyan
Robert Sedraki Kocharyan ( hy, Ռոբերտ Սեդրակի Քոչարյան ; born 31 August 1954) is an Armenian politician. He served as the President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from 1994 to 1997 and Prime Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh from ...
won 21% of the popular vote and gained 29 seats in the National Assembly.
Early history
![Founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Stepan Zorian, Christapor Mikaelian, Simon Zavarian](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Founders_of_the_Armenian_Revolutionary_Federation_Stepan_Zorian%2C_Christapor_Mikaelian%2C_Simon_Zavarian.jpg)
In the late 19th century, the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
became the hub of small groups advocating reform in Armenian-populated areas in the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. In 1890, recognizing the need to unify these groups in order to be more efficient,
Christapor Mikaelian,
Simon Zavarian
Simon Zavarian (Armenian: , also known by his ''nom de guerre'' Anton, ; 1866 – 1913) was a leader of the Armenian national liberation movement and one of the three founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, along with Kristapor Mikaeli ...
and
Stepan Zorian
Stepan Zorian (Armenian: Ստեփան Զօրեան, 1867–1919), better known by his ''nom de guerre'' Rostom (), was one of the three founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and a leader of the Armenian national liberation movement.
...
created a new political party called the "Federation of Armenian Revolutionaries" (, Hay Heghapokhakanneri Dashnaktsutyun), which would eventually be called the "Armenian Revolutionary Federation" or "Dashnaktsutiun" in 1890.
The
Social Democrat Hunchakian Party, an existing Armenian socialist and revolutionary party, initially agreed to join the "Federation of Armenian Revolutionaries." However, the Hunchaks soon withdrew due to disputes over ideological and organizational questions, such as the role of socialism in the party's program. Another faction of non-socialists led by Konstantin Khatisian split from the federation early on. Despite this, the party began to organize itself in the Ottoman Empire and convened its First General Congress in 1892, where a program containing socialist principles was adopted.
The original aim of the ARF was to gain autonomy for the Armenian-populated areas in the Ottoman Empire by means of armed rebellion. At the First Congress, the party adopted a decentralized ''modus operandi'' according to which the chapters in different countries were allowed to plan and implement policies in tune with their local political atmosphere. The party set its goal of a society based on the democratic principles of
freedom of assembly
Freedom of peaceful assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the freedom of association, is the individual right or ability of people to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue, and defend their collective or shared ide ...
,
freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...
,
freedom of religion
Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...
and
agrarian reform.
Russian Empire
The ARF gradually acquired significant strength and sympathy among
Russian Armenians
Armenians in Russia or Russian Armenians are one of the country's largest ethnic minorities and the largest Armenian diaspora community outside Armenia. The 2010 Russian census recorded 1,182,388 Armenians in the country. Various figures estimate ...
. Mainly because of the ARF's stance towards the Ottoman Empire, the party enjoyed the support of the central Russian administration, as
tsarist
Tsarist autocracy (russian: царское самодержавие, transcr. ''tsarskoye samoderzhaviye''), also called Tsarism, was a form of autocracy (later absolute monarchy) specific to the Grand Duchy of Moscow and its successor states ...
and ARF foreign policy had the same alignment until 1903.
On 12 June 1903, the tsarist authorities passed an edict to bring all Armenian Church property under imperial control. This was faced by strong ARF opposition, because the ARF perceived the tsarist edict as a threat to the Armenian national existence. As a result, the ARF leadership decided to defend Armenian churches by dispatching militiamen who acted as guards and by holding mass demonstrations.
In 1904, the party broke with its old policy of non-struggle against the Tsarist authorities, engaging in acts of terrorism against the imperial bureaucracy and establishing separate schools, courts, and prisons in Russian Armenia.
In 1905–06, the
Armenian-Tatar massacres broke out during which the ARF became involved in armed activities. Some sources claim that the Russian government incited the massacres in order to reinforce its authority during the revolutionary turmoil of 1905.
The first outbreak of violence occurred in
Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
, in February 1905.
The ARF held the Russian authorities responsible for inaction and instigation of massacres that were part of a larger
anti-Armenian
Anti-Armenian sentiment, also known as anti-Armenianism and Armenophobia, is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against towards Armenians, Armenia, and Armenian culture.
Historically, anti-Armenianism has manifested in several wa ...
policy. On 11 May 1905, Dashnak revolutionary
Drastamat Kanayan
Drastamat Kanayan (; 31 May 1884 8 March 1956), better known as Dro (Դրօ), was an Armenian military commander and politician. He was a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. He briefly served as Defence Minister of the First Republic ...
assassinated Russian governor general
Nakashidze
The House of Nakashidze ( ka, ნაკაშიძე) is a noble family in Georgia, one of the princely houses hailing from the province of Guria. In the Principality of Guria, they held the hereditary office of Receivers of Ambassadors, as wel ...
, who was considered by the Armenian population as the main instigator of hate and confrontation between the Armenians and the Tatars. Unable to rely on the state for protection, the Armenian bourgeoisie turned to the ARF. Against the criticisms of their rivals to the left (the Hunchaks, Bolsheviks and
Specifists), the Dashnak leaders argued that, given employment discrimination against Armenian workers in non-Armenian concerns, the defence provided to the Armenian bourgeoisie was essential to the safekeeping of employment opportunities for Armenian laborers. The Russian Tsar's envoy in the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...
, Vorontsov-Dashkov, reported that the ARF bore a major portion of responsibilities for perpetrating the massacres. The ARF, however, argued that it helped to organize the defence of the Armenian population against Muslim attacks. The blows suffered at the hands of the Dashnakist fighting squads proved a catalyst for the consolidation of the Muslim community of the Caucasus.
During that period, the ARF regarded armed activity, including
terror, as necessary for the achievement of political goals.
In January 1912, 159 ARF members, being lawyers, bankers, merchants and other intellectuals, were tried before the Russian senate for their participation in the party. They were defended by then-lawyer
Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky, ; Reforms of Russian orthography, original spelling: ( – 11 June 1970) was a Russian lawyer and revolutionary who led the Russian Provisional Government and the short-lived Russian Republic for three months ...
, who challenged much of the evidence used against them as the "original investigators had been encouraged by the local administration to use any available means" to convict the men. Kerensky succeeded in having the evidence reexamined for one of the defendants. He and several other lawyers "made openly contemptuous declarations" about this discrepancy to the Russian press, which was forbidden to attend the trials, and this in turn greatly embarrassed the senators. The Senate eventually opened an inquiry against the chief
magistrate
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...
who had brought the charges against the Dashnak members and concluded that he was insane. Ninety-four of the accused were acquitted, while the rest were either imprisoned or exiled for varying periods, the most severe being six years.
Persian Empire
![Yeprem khan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Yeprem_khan.jpg)
The Dashnaktsutiun held a meeting on 26 April 1907, dubbed the Fourth General Congress, at which ARF leaders such as
Aram Manukian
Aram Manukian, reformed spelling: Արամ Մանուկյան, and he is also referred to as simply Aram. (19 March 187929 January 1919), was an Armenian revolutionary, statesman, and a leading member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation ...
,
Hamo Ohanjanyan
Hamazasp "Hamo" Ohanjanyan (; 1873 – 31 July 1947) was an Armenian doctor, revolutionary, and politician of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF/Dashnaktsutiun). He served as the third Prime Minister of the First Republic of Armenia from ...
and
Stepan Stepanian
Stepan Stepanian (1866–1915) was an Armenian Revolutionary Federation member and politician in the Ottoman Empire. He was among the participants in the 1907 Fourth General Congress that decided ARF participation in the Iranian Constitution ...
discussed their engagement in the
Iranian Constitutional Revolution.
They established that the movement was one that had political, ideological and economic components and was thus aimed at establishing law and order, human rights and the interests of all working people. They also felt that it would work for the benefit and interest of
Armenian-Iranians
Iranian-Armenians ( hy, իրանահայեր ''iranahayer''), also known as Persian-Armenians ( hy, պարսկահայեր ''parskahayer''), are Iranians of Armenian ethnicity who may speak Armenian as their first language. Estimates of thei ...
. The final vote was 25 votes in favour and one absentia.
From 1907 to 1908, during the time when the Young Turks came to power in the Ottoman Empire, Armenians from the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...
,
Western Armenia
Western Armenia (Western Armenian: Արեւմտեան Հայաստան, ''Arevmdian Hayasdan'') is a term to refer to the eastern parts of Turkey (formerly the Ottoman Empire) that are part of the historical homeland of the Armenians. Weste ...
, and
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
started to collaborate with Iranian constitutionalists and revolutionaries.
Political parties, notably the Dashnaktsutiun, wanted to influence the direction of the revolution towards greater democracy and to safeguard gains already achieved. The Dashnak contribution to the fight was mostly military, as it sent some of its well-known fedayees to Iran after the guerrilla campaign in the Ottoman Empire ended with the rise of the Young Turks.
A notable ARF member already in Iran was
Yeprem Khan
Yeprem Khan ( hy, Եփրեմ Խան; 1868–1912), born Yeprem Davidian ( hy, Եփրեմ Դավթյան, fa, یپرمخان داویدیان), was an Iranian-Armenian revolutionary leader and a leading figure in the Constitutional Revolution ...
, who had established a branch of the party in the country. Yeprem Khan was highly instrumental in the Constitutional revolution of Iran. After the Persian national parliament was shelled by the Russian Colonel
Vladimir Liakhov
Polkovnik (Colonel) Vladimir Platonovitch Liakhov (also spelled Liakhoff, russian: Влади́мир Плато́нович Ля́хов) (c. 20 June 1869 – June 1919) was the commander of the Persian Cossack Brigade during the rule of Mohammad ...
, Yeprem Khan rallied with
Sattar Khan
Sattar Khan ( fa, ستارخان, , October 20, 1866 – November 17, 1914), honorarily titled Sardār-e Melli ( fa, سردار ملی meaning ''National Commander'') was a pivotal figure in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution and is considered ...
and other revolutionary leaders in the Constitutional Revolution of Iran against
Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar
Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar ( fa, محمدعلی شاه قاجار; 21 June 1872 – 5 April 1925, San Remo, Italy), Shah of Iran from 8 January 1907 to 16 July 1909. He was the sixth shah of the Qajar dynasty.
Biography
Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar ...
.
Relations between Sattar Khan and the ARF oscillated between amity and resentment. Sometimes he was viewed as being ignorant, while at other times he was dubbed a great hero.
Nonetheless, the ARF came to collaborate with him and alongside Yeprem Khan posted many victories including the capture of
Rasht in February 1909. At the end of June 1909, the fighters
arrived in
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
and after several battles, took over the
Majles
The Islamic Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای اسلامی, Majles-e Showrā-ye Eslāmī), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the national legislative body of Iran. The Pa ...
building and the
Sepahsalar Mosque
The Sepahsālār Mosque ( fa, مسجد سپهسالار - ''Masjed-e Sepahsālār'') is a famous historic mosque in Tehran, Iran. The construction project of the mosque was started in 1879 upon the order of Mirza Hosein Sepahsalar, the Grand Viz ...
. Yeprem Khan was then appointed chief of Tehran police. This caused tensions between the Dashnaks and Khan.
Ottoman Empire
Abdul Hamid Period (1894–1908)
The ARF became a major political force in Armenian life. It was especially active in the Ottoman Empire, where it organized or participated in many revolutionary activities. In 1894, the ARF took part in the
Sasun Resistance, supplying arms to the local population to help the people of Sasun defend themselves against the Hamidian purges.
In June 1896, the
Armenakan Party
The Armenakan Party (in Armenian Արմենական Կուսակցութիւն) was an Armenian political party established in Van, Ottoman Empire in 1885 by Mekertich Portukalian as an underground organization against the ruling system. It is ...
organized the
Van Rebellion in the province of
Van
A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...
. The Armenakans, assisted by members of the Hunchakian and ARF parties, supplied all able-bodied men of Van with weapons. They rose to defend the civilians from the attack and subsequent massacre.
![Armenian Fedayees 1890-1896](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Armenian_Fedayees_1890-1896.jpg)
To raise awareness of the
massacres of 1895–96, members of the Dashnaktsutiun led by
Papken Siuni
Bedros Parian (; 1873 – 26 August 1896), better known by his ''nom de guerre'' Papken Siuni ( hy, Բաբգէն Սիւնի), was an important figure in the Armenian national movement, an Armenian Revolutionary Federation member and the leader, al ...
,
occupied the Ottoman Bank on 26 August 1896.
The purpose of the raid was to dictate the ARF's demands of reform in the Armenian populated areas of the Ottoman Empire and to attract European attention to their cause since the Europeans had many assets in the bank. The operation caught European attention but at the cost of more massacres by Sultan
Abdul Hamid II
Abdülhamid or Abdul Hamid II ( ota, عبد الحميد ثانی, Abd ül-Hamid-i Sani; tr, II. Abdülhamid; 21 September 1842 10 February 1918) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 31 August 1876 to 27 April 1909, and the last sultan to ...
.
During this period, many famous intellectuals joined the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, including
Harutiun Shahrigian
, image = H.Shahrikyan.jpg
, image_size = 200
, caption =
, birth_date = 1860
, birth_place = Shabin-Karahisar, Ottoman Empire
, death_date =
, death_place = Ankara, Ottoman Empire
, nickname = Atom, Adom, Nitra
...
,
Avetik Isahakyan,
Hakob Zavriev,
Levon Shant
Levon Shant ( hy, Լեւոն Շանթ; born Levon Nahashbedian, then changed to Levon Seghposian; 6 April 1869 – 29 November 1951) was an Armenian playwright, novelist, poet and founder of the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Societ ...
,
Karekin Khajag
Garegin Khazhak (also Karekin Khajag, hy, Գարեգին Խաժակ; 6 October 1867–1915) was an Armenian journalist, writer, political activist and educator. A member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Khajag traveled around the worl ...
,
Vartkes Serengülian,
Abraham Gyulkhandanyan
Abraham Gyulkhandanyan ( hy, Աբրահամ Գիւլխանդանեան; 1875 - 1 January 1946) was an Armenian revolutionary, politician and historian who served as Minister of Justice, Minister of Interior and Minister of Finance of First Repub ...
,
Vahan Papazian
Vahan Papazian ( hy, Վահան Փափազյան; 1876–1973), also known by his pseudonym Goms (Կոմս) was an Armenian doctor, politician, political activist who was one of the leaders of the Armenian national liberation movement. He was the ...
,
Siamanto
Atom Yarchanian ( hy, Ատոմ Եարճանեան), better known by his pen name Siamanto (Սիամանթօ) (15 August 1878 – August 1915), was an influential Armenian writer, poet and national figure from the late 19th century and early 20th ...
,
Nikol Aghbalian
Nikol Poghosi Aghbalian ( hy, Նիկոլ Պողոսի Աղբալյան; 1875, Tiflis – 1947, Beirut) was an Armenian public figure and historian of literature, the editor of ''Horizon'' paper.
Aghbalian was born in 1873 in Tbilisi. His primar ...
and many others.
The
Khanasor Expedition
The Khanasor Expedition ( hy, Խանասորի արշավանքը, ''Khanasori arshavankë'') was a punitive raid launched by Armenian fedayees against the Kurdish Mazrik tribe on July 25, 1897. In 1896, in the aftermath of the Defense of Van, th ...
was performed by the
Armenian militia against the
Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish languages
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern Kurdistan
**Eastern Kurdistan
**Northern Kurdistan
**Western Kurdistan
See also
* Kurd (dis ...
Mazrik tribe on 25 July 1897. During the Defense of Van, the Mazrik tribe had ambushed a squad of Armenian defenders and massacred them. The Khanasor Expedition was the ARF's retaliation.
Some Armenians consider this their first victory over the Ottoman Empire and celebrate each year in its remembrance.
On 30 March 1904, the ARF played a major role in the
Second Sasun Uprising. The ARF sent arms and ''
fedayi'' to defend the region for the second time.
Among the 500 fedayees participating in the resistance were famed figures such as
Kevork Chavush
Kevork Ghazarian ( hy, Գէորգ Ղազարեան; 1870 – 28 May 1907), commonly known as Kevork Chavush or Gevorg Chaush ( hy, Գէորգ Չաւուշ or Գևորգ Չաուշ), was an Armenian '' fedayee'' leader in the Ottoman Empire and a ...
,
Sepasdatsi Murad and
Hrayr Djoghk. Although they managed to hold off the Ottoman army for several months, despite their lack of fighters and firepower, Ottoman forces captured Sasun and massacred thousands of Armenians.
In 1905, members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation organized the failed
Yıldız Attempt, an assassination plot on Sultan Abdul Hamid II in the capital of the Ottoman Empire,
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
(modern day
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
);
the explosion missed its target by a few minutes. One of Dashnaksutiun's founders
Kristapor Mikaelian was killed by an accidental explosion during the planning of the operation.
Young Turk Revolution (1908–14)
![Armen Garo 1918](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Armen_Garo_1918.jpg)
In the 1890s the party used
terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
against the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
and Russia with the goal of gaining an independent nation, more well known attacks occurred against Bedros Kapamciyan, the mayor of
Van
A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...
who was assassinated in December 1912, and the assassination of
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
Leon Tourian
Archbishop Leon Tourian (; 1 January 1879 – 24 December 1933) was a cleric of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Appointed primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America in 1931, he was assassinated in New York City by hi ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on December 24, 1933.
Two of the largest revolutionary groups trying to overthrow Sultan Abdul Hamid II had been the ARF and the
Committee of Union and Progress, a group of mostly European-educated Turks.
In a general assembly meeting in 1907, the ARF acknowledged that the Armenian and
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
revolutionaries had the same goals. Although the
Tanzimat
The Tanzimat (; ota, تنظيمات, translit=Tanzimāt, lit=Reorganization, ''see'' nizām) was a period of reform in the Ottoman Empire that began with the Gülhane Hatt-ı Şerif in 1839 and ended with the First Constitutional Era in 1876. ...
reforms had given Armenians more rights and seats in the parliament, the ARF hoped to gain autonomy to govern Armenian populated areas of the Ottoman Empire as a "
state within a state". The "Second congress of the Ottoman opposition" took place in
Paris, France
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, in 1907. Opposition leaders including
Ahmed Riza
Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet.
Etymology
The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...
(liberal),
Sabahheddin Bey
Prince Sabahaddin de Neuchâtel (born Sultanzade Mehmed Sabâhaddin Bey; 13 February 1879 – 30 June 1948) was an Ottoman sociologist and thinker. Because of his threat to the ruling House of Osman (the Ottoman dynasty), of which he was a ...
, and ARF member
Khachatur Maloumian
Khachatur Malumian ( hy, Խաչատուր Մալումյան), also known as Edgar Aknuni (''Aknouni or Agnouni''; hy, Էտկար Ակնունի) (1863 in Meghri, Russian Empire – 1915) was an Armenian journalist and political activist.
...
attended. During the meeting, an alliance between the two parties was officially declared.
The ARF decided to cooperate with the Committee of Union and Progress, hoping that if the Young Turks came to power, autonomy would be granted to the Armenians.
In 1908, Abdul Hamid II was overthrown during the
Young Turk Revolution, which launched the
Second Constitutional Era of the Ottoman Empire. Dashnaktsutiun became a legal political party and Armenians gained more seats in the 1908 parliament, but the reforms fell short of the greater autonomy that the ARF had hoped for. The
Adana massacre in 1909 also created antipathy between Armenians and Turks, and the ARF cut relations with the Young Turks in 1912.
Between December 1912 and 1914 ARF politicians held negotiations with the CUP about political reforms in the eastern provinces. The Armenians had the support of the Russians and the CUP accused the Armenians that their actions caused further division between Turks and Armenians.
World War I and the Armenian genocide
![Aram Manoogian](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Aram_Manoogian.gif)
In 1915, Dashnak leaders were deported and killed alongside other Armenian intellectuals during a purge by Ottoman officials against the leaders of the empire's Armenian communities.
The ARF, maintaining its ideological commitment to a "Free, Independent, and United Armenia",
led the defense of the Armenian people during the Armenian genocide, becoming leaders of the successful
Van Resistance.
Jevdet Bey, the Ottoman administrator of Van, tried to suppress the resistance by killing two Armenian leaders (Ishkhan and Vramian) and trying to imprison Aram Manukian, who had risen to fame and gained the nickname "Aram of Van".
Moreover, on 19 April, he issued an order to exterminate all Armenians, and threatened to kill all Muslims who helped them.
About 185,000 Armenians lived in
Vaspurakan
Vaspurakan (, Western Armenian pronunciation: ''Vasbouragan'') was the eighth province of the ancient kingdom of Armenia, which later became an independent kingdom during the Middle Ages, centered on Lake Van. Located in what is now southeaster ...
. In the city of Van itself, there were around 30,000 Armenians, but more Armenians from surrounding villages joined them during the Ottoman offensive. The battle started on 20 April 1915, with Aram Manukian as the leader of the resistance, and lasted for two months. In May, the Armenian battalions and Russian regulars entered the city and successfully drove the Ottoman army out of Van.
The Dashnaktsutiun was also involved in other less-successful resistance movements in
Zeitun,
Shabin-Karahisar,
Urfa, and
Musa Dagh
Musa Dagh ( tr, Musa Dağı; hy, Մուսա լեռ, ; ar, جبل موسى ; meaning "Moses Mountain") is a mountain in the Hatay province of Turkey. In 1915, it was the location of a successful Armenians, Armenian resistance to the Armenian g ...
. After the end of the Van resistance, ARF leader Aram Manukian became governor of the
Administration for Western Armenia
The occupation of Western Armenia by the Russian Empire during World War I began in 1915 and was formally ended by the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. It was sometimes referred to as the Republic of Van by Armenians. Aram Manukian of Armenian Revolutio ...
and worked to ease the sufferings of Armenians.
At the end of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, members of the Young Turks movement, considered executors of the Armenian genocide by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, were assassinated during
Operation Nemesis
Operation Nemesis () was a program to assassinate both Ottoman perpetrators of the Armenian genocide and officials of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic), or simply as Azerbaijan in Paris Peace Conferenc ...
.
Republic of Armenia (1918–1920)
As a result of the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917, the Armenian, Georgian, and Azerbaijani leaders of the Caucasus united to create the
Transcaucasian Federation
The Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic (TDFR; (), (). 22 April – 28 May 1918) was a short-lived state in the Caucasus that included most of the territory of the present-day Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as pa ...
in the winter of 1918. The
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (also known as the Treaty of Brest in Russia) was a separate peace, separate peace treaty signed on 3 March 1918 between Russian SFSR, Russia and the Central Powers (German Empire, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Kingdom of ...
had drastic consequences for the Armenians: Turkish forces reoccupied Western Armenia. The federation lasted for only three months, eventually leading to the proclamation of the Republics of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. The negotiators for Armenia were from the ARF.
![The Cabinet of the Armenian Republic](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/The_Cabinet_of_the_Armenian_Republic.png)
With the collapse of the Transcaucasian Federation, the Armenians were left to fend for themselves as the Turkish army approached the capital of
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...
. At first, fearing a major military defeat and massacre of the population of Armenia, the Dashnaks wanted to evacuate the city of Yerevan. Instead, the Military Council headed by Colonel Pirumian decided that they would not surrender and would confront the Turkish army.
The opposing armies met on 28 May 1918, near
Sardarapat. The
battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
was a major military success for the Armenian army as it was able to halt the invading Turkish forces. The Armenians also stood their ground at the
Battle of Kara Killisse
The Battle of Kara Killisse (Lit. Black church, Turkish language, Turkish: ''Karakilise Muharebesi''), also known as the Battle of Malazgirt, was a battle on the Caucasus front in July 1915 after the Battle of Manzikert (1915), Battle of Manzik ...
and at the
Battle of Bash Abaran
The Battle of Bash Abaran ( hy, Բաշ Աբարանի ճակատամարտ ''Bash Abarani chakatamart'', tr, Baş-Abaran Muharebesi) was a battle of Caucasus Campaign of World War I that took place in the vicinity of Bash Abaran, in 1918. The ...
. The creation of the
First Republic of Armenia
The First Republic of Armenia, officially known at the time of its existence as the Republic of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի Հանրապետութիւն), was the first modern Armenian state since the loss of Armenian statehood in the Middle ...
was proclaimed on the same day of the Battle of Sardarapat, and the ARF became the ruling party. However, the new state was devastated, with a dislocated economy, hundreds of thousands of refugees, and a mostly starving population.
The ARF, led by
General Andranik, tried several times to seize
Shusha (known as Shushi by Armenians), a city in Karabakh. Just before the
Armistice of Mudros was signed, Andranik was on the way from
Zangezur to Shusha, to control the main city of Karabakh. Andranik's forces got within of the city when the First World War ended, and Turkey, along with Germany and
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
, surrendered to the
Allies
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
.
British forces ordered
Andranik to stop all military advances, assuring him that the conflict would be solved with the
Paris Peace Conference of 1919
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. Andranik, not wanting to antagonize the British, retreated to Goris,
Zangezur.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation had a strong presence in the DRA government. Most of the important government posts, such as prime minister, defence minister and interior minister were controlled by its members.
The DRA wanted to recover the country's economy, and create new rules and regulations, but the situation required it to focus on overcoming widespread hunger in the country. The situation was complicated externally, provoked by
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
and
Azerbaijani Muslim riots. In 1920 the situation in the country became worse, with apparent rapprochement between Soviet Russia and Kemal's Turkey. When the Turkish-Armenian war started in autumn 1920, Armenia was isolated and abandoned by Western allies. The newly formed
League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
did not provide any help. Soviet Russia intensified its pressure on Armenia. Losing the war, Armenia signed the
Treaty of Alexandropol
The Treaty of Alexandropol ( hy, Ալեքսանդրապոլի պայմանագիր; tr, Gümrü Anlaşması) was a peace treaty between the First Republic of Armenia and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The treaty ended the Turkish-Armeni ...
on 2 December 1920, which resulted in the recognition of large territorial losses to Turkey. The Armenia military-revolutionary committee formed in
Soviet Azerbaijan. Despite their tight grip on power, the ARF ceded power to the
Communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
troops invading from the north, which culminated with a Soviet takeover.
The ARF was banned, its leaders exiled, and many of its members dispersed to other parts of the world.
Exile
After the communists took over the short-lived First Republic of Armenia and ARF leaders were exiled, the Dashnaks moved their base of operations to where the
Armenian diaspora
The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...
had settled. With the large influx of Armenian refugees in the
Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is eq ...
, the ARF established a strong political structure in
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
and to a lesser extent,
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
. From 1921 to 1990, the Dashnaktsutiun established political structures in more than 200 states including the
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, where another large influx of Armenians settled.
With political and geographic division came religious division. One part of the Armenian Church claimed it wanted to be separate from the head, whose seat was in
Echmiadzin,
Armenian SSR
The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,; russian: Армянская Советская Социалистическая Республика, translit=Armyanskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika) also commonly referred to as Soviet A ...
. Some Armenians in the US thought
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
tried to use the Armenian Church to promote Communists' ideas outside the country. The Armenian Church thus separated into two branches, Echmiadzin and Cilician, and started to operate separately. In the US, Echmiadzin branch churches of the
Armenian Apostolic Church
, native_name_lang = hy
, icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg
, icon_width = 100px
, icon_alt =
, image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, a ...
would not admit members of the ARF. This was one of the reasons why the ARF discouraged people from attending these churches and brought the representatives from a different wing of the church, the Armenian
Catholicate of
Cilicia
Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coa ...
, from Lebanon to the US. In 1933, members of ARF were convicted in the assassination of Armenian
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
Levon Tourian in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Prior to his murder, the archbishop had been accused of being exclusively pro-Soviet by the ARF. The ARF was legally exonerated from any direct complicity in the assassination.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, some Berlin-based ARF members saw an opportunity to remove Soviet control from Armenia by supporting the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
. The
Armenian Legion
The Armenian Legion (german: Armenische Legion; hy, Հայկական լեգիոն ''Haykakan legion'') was a military unit in the German Army during World War II. It primarily consisted of Soviet Armenians, who wanted to fight the Russians for an ...
, composed largely of former Soviet Red Army POWs, was led by
Drastamat Kanayan
Drastamat Kanayan (; 31 May 1884 8 March 1956), better known as Dro (Դրօ), was an Armenian military commander and politician. He was a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. He briefly served as Defence Minister of the First Republic ...
. It participated in the occupation of the
Crimean Peninsula but was later based in the Netherlands and France a result of Adolf Hitler's distrust of their loyalty.
During the 1950s, tensions arose between the ARF and Armenian SSR. The death of
Catholicos
Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases it is the title of the head of an autonomous church. The word comes from ancient ...
Garegin of the
Holy See of Cilicia
The Armenian Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia ( hy, Կաթողիկոսութիւն Հայոց Մեծի Տանն Կիլիկիոյ) is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church. Since 1930, the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilic ...
prompted a struggle for succession. The National Ecclesiastic Assembly, which was largely influenced by the ARF, elected
Zareh of Aleppo. This decision was rejected by the Echmiadzin-based
Catholicos of All Armenians, the anti-ARF coalition, and Soviet Armenian authorities. Zareh extended his administrative authority over a large part of the Armenian diaspora, furthering the rift that had already been created by his election.
This event split the large
Armenian community of Lebanon, creating sporadic clashes between the supporters of Zareh and those who opposed his election.
Religious conflict was part of a greater conflict that raged between the two "camps" of the Armenian diaspora. The ARF still resented the fact that they were ousted from Armenia after the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
took control, and the ARF leaders supported the creation of a "Free, Independent, and United Armenia", free from both Soviet and Turkish hegemony. The
Social Democrat Hunchakian Party and
Ramgavar Party, the main rivals of the ARF, supported the newly established Soviet rule in Armenia.
Lebanon
From 1923 to 1958, conflicts erupted among Armenian political parties struggling to dominate and organize the diaspora. The ARF and Hunchakian parties struggled in 1926 for control of the newly established shanty-town of
Bourj Hammoud in Lebanon; ARF member Vahan Vartabedian was assassinated. The assassination of Hunchakian members Mihran Aghazarian and S. Dekhrouhi followed in 1929 and 1931 respectively. In 1956, when Bishop Zareh was consecrated Catholicos of Cilicia, the Catholicos of Echmiadzin refused to recognize his authority. This controversy polarized the Armenian community of Lebanon. As a result, in the context of the
Lebanese civil strife of 1958, an armed conflict erupted between supporters (the ARF) and opponents (Hunchakians, Ramgavars) of Zareh.
Prior to the
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...
of 1975–90, the party was closely allied to the
Phalangist Party of
Pierre Gemayel and generally ran joint tickets with the Phalangists, especially in
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
constituencies with large Armenian populations.
The refusal of the ARF, along with most Armenian groups, to play an active role in the civil war, however, soured relations between the two parties, and the
Lebanese Forces
The Lebanese Forces ( ar, القوات اللبنانية '')'' is a Lebanese Christian-based political party and former militia during the Lebanese Civil War. It currently holds 19 of the 128 seats in Lebanon's parliament and is therefore th ...
(a militia dominated by Phalangists and commanded by
Bachir Gemayel, Pierre Gemayel's son), responded by attacking the Armenian quarters of many Lebanese towns, including Bourj Hammoud.
Many Armenians affiliated with the ARF took up arms voluntarily to defend their quarters. In the midst of the Lebanese civil war, the shadowy guerrilla organization
Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide
Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide (JCAG) ( hy, Հայկական Ցեղասպանութեան Արդարութեան Մարտիկներ, ՀՑԱՄ) was an Armenian militant organization active from 1975 to 1987.
JCAG conducted an interna ...
emerged and carried out assassinations from 1975 to 1983. The guerrilla organization has sometimes been linked to the Dashnaks.
Ethnic Armenians
Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora o ...
are allocated six seats in Lebanon's 128-member
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
. The Lebanese branch of the ARF has usually controlled a majority of the Armenian vote and won most of the ethnic Armenian seats in the National Assembly. A major change occurred in the parliamentary election of 2000. With a rift between ARF and the Mustaqbal (Future) party of
Rafik Hariri and the ARF was left with only one parliamentary seat, its worst result in many decades. The ARF called for a boycott of the 2005 Beirut elections. Relations soured further when on 5 August 2007 by-election in the
Metn district, which includes the predominantly Armenian area of Bourj Hammoud, ARF decided to support
Camille Khoury, the candidate backed by opposition leader
Michel Aoun
Michel Naim Aoun ( ar, ميشال نعيم عون ; born 30 September 1933) is a Lebanese politician and former military general who served as the President of Lebanon from 31 October 2016 until 30 October 2022.
Born in Haret Hreik to a Mar ...
's
Free Patriotic Movement against Phalangist leader
Amine Gemayel and subsequently won the seat. In the
2009 Lebanese general election
Parliamentary elections were held in Lebanon on 7 June 2009 to elect all 128 members of the Parliament of Lebanon.
Background
Before the election, the voting age was to be lowered from 21 to 18 years, but as this requires a constitutional a ...
s, the ARF won 2 seats in parliament which it holds presently. In June 2011, a
new Lebanese government was formed where ARF party members were appointed to two ministerial positions, including Ministry of Industry, as part of the
March 8 alliance.
The ARF Lebanon branch is headquartered in Bourj Hammoud in the Shaghzoian Centre, along with the ARF Lebanon Central Committee's ''Aztag Daily'' newspaper and "Voice Of Van" 24-hour radio station.
Syria
During the French Mandate and under the parliamentary régime in
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, there were reserved seats for the various religious communities, like in Lebanon, including for Armenians. This system is unofficially still living. Even when they didn't take part as such in elections, Armenian parties such as Dashnak exerted an influence on them.
Independent Armenia
![ARFPartyHeadquartersYerevan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/ARFPartyHeadquartersYerevan.JPG)
The ARF has always maintained its ideological commitment to "a Free, Independent, and United Armenia". The term ''United Armenia'' refers to the borders of Armenia recognized by
U.S. President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
and outlined in the
Treaty of Sèvres
The Treaty of Sèvres (french: Traité de Sèvres) was a 1920 treaty signed between the Allies of World War I and the Ottoman Empire. The treaty ceded large parts of Ottoman territory to France, the United Kingdom, Greece and Italy, as well ...
. After Armenia fell under Soviet control in 1920, the ARF within the Armenian diaspora opposed Soviet rule over Armenia and rallied in support of Armenian independence. It contributed to organizing a social and cultural framework aimed at preserving the Armenian identity. However, because of tight communist control, the ARF could not operate in the Armenian SSR and the political party remained banned until 1991.
In the leadup to the reestablishment of independent Armenia, the ARF was opposed to Armenia's immediate independence from the Soviet Union, considering the threat of neighboring Turkey to be too great.
When independence was achieved in 1991, the ARF soon became one of the major and most active
political parties
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or pol ...
, rivaled mainly by the
Pan-Armenian National Movement
The Pan-Armenian National Movement or Armenian All-national Movement ( hy, Հայոց Համազգային Շարժում, translit=Hayots Hamazgain Sharzhum; HHS) was a political party in Armenia.
History
The party emerged from the resolution of ...
. Subsequently, on 28 December 1994,
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Levon Ter-Petrosyan
Levon Hakobi Ter-Petrosyan ( hy, Լևոն Հակոբի Տեր-Պետրոսյան; born 9 January 1945), also known by his initials LTP, is an Armenian politician who served as the first president of Armenia from 1991 until his resignation in 1998 ...
in a famous television speech banned the ARF, which was the nation's leading opposition party, along with ''
Yerkir
''Yerkir'' (, literally "Country") is the official newspaper of the Supreme Body of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF).
The first issue of ''Yerkir'' was published on August 27, 1991 in Yerevan. Since April 2002 it is also published in ...
'', the country's largest daily newspaper.
Ter-Petrosyan introduced evidence that supposedly detailed a plot hatched by the ARF to engage in terrorism against his administration, endanger Armenia's national security and overthrow the government. Throughout the evening, government security forces arrested leading ARF figures, and police seized computers, fax machines, files and printing equipment from ARF offices. In addition to ''Yerkir'', government forces also closed several literary, women's, cultural, and youth publications.
A group of eleven ARF members were arrested and accused of being members of a purported secret terrorist cell within the ARF known as the "Dro Group" (named after the Dro Committee, the group that was allegedly behind the plot), which was allegedly led by ARF member
Hrant Markarian.
Another group of thirty-one ARF members, including ARF Bureau member
Vahan Hovhannisyan, were also arrested and charged with attempting to stage an armed coup, among other crimes.
Gerard Libaridian, an historian and close adviser of Ter-Petrosyan, collected and presented the evidence against the defendants. He later stated in an interview that he was unsure if the evidence was true, inviting the notion that the party was banned because of its increasing chances of winning seats in the July 1995 parliamentary elections. The trials were marked by accusations of misconduct, including forced confessions, and were regarded as politically motivated by the opposition and human rights groups.
Several months after the elections, most of the men were found not guilty with the exception of several defendants charged for engaging in corrupt business practices. Three men from the "Dro Group" case (Arsen Artsruni, Armenak Mnjoyan, Armen Grigoryan) and one man from the group of 31 (Tigran Avetisyan) were sentenced to death for murder.
Their sentences were commuted to life imprisonment in 2003.
Mnjoyan died while in prison in early 2019, while Artsruni and Avetisyan continue to serve their sentences.
The ban on the party was lifted less than a week after Ter-Petrosyan fell from power in February 1998 and was replaced by
Robert Kocharyan
Robert Sedraki Kocharyan ( hy, Ռոբերտ Սեդրակի Քոչարյան ; born 31 August 1954) is an Armenian politician. He served as the President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from 1994 to 1997 and Prime Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh from ...
, who was backed by the Dashnaks.
Most of the ARF members convicted in relation to the "Dro Group" and "Group of 31" cases were released after the relegalization of the party.
In 2007, the ARF was not part of but had a cooperation agreement in place with the governing coalition, which consisted of two parties in the government
coalition
A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces.
Formation
According to ''A Gui ...
, the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
and
Prosperous Armenia Party. The
Country of Law party was also a member of the governing coalition until it pulled out in May 2006. With 16 of the 131 seats in the
National Assembly of Armenia, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation became the third-largest party in parliament.
In addition to its parliamentary seats, the following governmental ministries were also headed by ARF members: Ministry of Agriculture, Davit Lokian; Ministry of Education and Science, Levon Mkrtchian; Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs,
Aghvan Vardanian; Ministry of Healthcare, Norair Davidian. On 13 July 2007, the
ARF History Museum
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation History Museum ( hy, Հ. Յ. Դաշնակցութեան պատմութեան թանգարան հիմնադրամ) is a museum in Yerevan, Armenia, that displays the history of the First Republic of Armenia and ...
was inaugurated in Yerevan, displaying the history of the party and of its notable members.
In 2007, the ARF announced that it would nominate its own candidate to run for
president of Armenia in the
February 2008 presidential election. In an innovation on 24–25 November 2007, the ARF conducted a
non-binding Armenia-wide
primary election
Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...
. They invited the public to vote to advise the party which of two candidates,
Vahan Hovhannisyan and
Armen Rustamyan
Armen Rustamyan ( hy, Արմեն Ռուստամյան; born March 1, 1960) is an Armenian politician from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. He is a deputy in the National Assembly of Armenia
The National Assembly of Armenia ( hy, Հ ...
, they should formally nominate for president of Armenia in the subsequent official election. What characterized it as a primary instead of a standard
opinion poll
An opinion poll, often simply referred to as a survey or a poll (although strictly a poll is an actual election) is a human research survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions ...
was that the public knew of the primary in advance, all eligible voters were invited, and the voting was by secret ballot. Nearly 300,000 people voted in makeshift tents and mobile ballot boxes. Vahan Hovhannisyan received the most votes and was subsequently nominated for the presidential election by the ARF Supreme Council in a secret ballot. In the presidential election, Hovhannisyan placed fourth with 6.2% of the vote. In 2008, ARF re-joined the ruling political coalition in Armenia
and supported strong police actions during the
2008 Armenian presidential election protests
A series of anti-government riots took place in Armenia following presidential elections held on 19 February 2008. Protests broke out in the Armenian capital Yerevan, organized by supporters of presidential candidate and former president Levon ...
that led to ten deaths.
Due to the signature of the so-called
Zurich Protocols
The Zurich Protocols refer to two bilateral protocols signed in 2009 by Armenia and Turkey that envisioned starting the process of normalizing relations between the two countries. The Protocols included provisions for the establishment of formal ...
the ARF left the coalition and became an opposition party once again in 2009, but relations with other factions in the Armenian opposition remained frosty. In
2012 parliamentary election the ARF won 5 seats losing 11 parliamentary seats from 2007.
ARF then reentered Sargsyan's cabinet in February 2016, obtaining three ministerial posts: Ministry of Economy, Local Government and Education; also as a result of what was defined as a "long-term political cooperation" agreement with the Republican Party, ARF also got to appoint the regional governors of
Aragatsotn
Aragatsotn ( hy, Արագածոտն, ) is a province ('' marz'') of Armenia. It is located in the western part of the country. The capital and largest city of the province is the town of Ashtarak. The Statistical Committee of Armenia reported ...
and
Shirak Province
Shirak ( hy, wikt:Շիրակ, Շիրակ, ) is a provinces of Armenia, province (''Administrative divisions of Armenia, marz'') of Armenia. It is located in the north-west of the country, bordering Turkey to the west and Georgia (country), Geor ...
s.
After the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes, the ARF helped the
Ministry of Defense of Armenia
The Ministry of Defence of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի պաշտպանության նախարարություն) often abbreviated to the RA Ministry of Defence is an Armenian governmental agency in charge of overseeing the development of the ...
in setting up a volunteer reserve
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...
, made up mostly of party members. This unit, made up of experienced commanders and soldiers, some of them veterans from the
Nagorno-Karabakh war, is one of the newest units of the
Armenian military. It traces back its heritage from the Shushi independent battalion of the previous war, and is called the "ARF battalion".
Following the 2017 elections, the party won 7 seats in the National Assembly with 6,58% of the votes.
Following the start of the
Armenian Velvet Revolution, the ARF broke its coalition with the
Republican Party of Armenia and moved into opposition; later on, the party supported
Nikol Pashinyan's new cabinet. The 2018 election saw the collapse of the party. The ARF only scored 3,89% of the votes and won no seats. It was the first time since the independence of Armenia that ARF had no political representation in the National Assembly.
Since its loss in the 2018 election, the ARF has become the main extra parliamentary opposition party to the
Pashinyan government.
The ARF also gained popularity by intensifying its social aid programs to those in need in Armenia, especially in the rural areas. The party has provided aid to locals during the 2020
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, mainly thanks to various donation made by members of the
Armenian diaspora
The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...
.
During the
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War
The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, the surrounding territories. It was a major escalation of ...
, the ARF again formed volunteer battalions to fight in the war.
After the conclusion of the war, the party formed a coalition with 16 other political parties (most notably the former ruling
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
and the parliamentary opposition party
Prosperous Armenia) calling itself the "
Homeland Salvation Movement
The Homeland Salvation Movement ( hy, Հայրենիքի փրկության շարժում, translit=Hayrenik’i p’rkut’yan sharzhum) was an Armenian political alliance, consisting of several opposition political parties, led by Vazgen Man ...
", calling on Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinyan to resign for the defeat of the Armenian side in the war. Along with the other parties in the coalition, the ARF supported former prime minister
Vazgen Manukyan
Vazgen Mikayeli Manukyan (Armenian: , born 13 February 1946) is an Armenian politician who served as the first Prime Minister of Armenia from 1990 to 1991. From 1992 to 1993, during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, Manukyan was acting Defence Min ...
as their candidate for prime minister. The Homeland Salvation Movement attempted to force Pashinyan's resignation through the organization of
mass protests.
The ARF formed the
Armenia Alliance
Armenia Alliance ( hy, Հայաստան դաշինք, Hayastan dashink’, HD) is an Armenian political alliance. It was founded in 2021 and is currently led by former President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan.
History
During the 2020–2021 Armenian ...
electoral alliance with ex-president Robert Kocharyan and the
Reborn Armenia
Reborn Armenia ( hy, Վերածնվող Հայաստան, translit=Veratsnvogh Hayastan), also translated as Resurgent Armenia and Reviving Armenia, is an Armenian political party. It was founded on 20 March 2021 and is currently led by Vahe A. H ...
party to participate in the
2021 snap parliamentary election. The alliance won 29 seats out of 107, 10 of which were taken by candidates put forward by the ARF.
Electoral record
In the 2000s, the party usually garnered some 10 to 15 percent of the vote in national elections. In a 2007 confidential telegram Anthony Godfrey, U.S. Embassy in Armenia ''
chargé d'affaires
A ''chargé d'affaires'' (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador ...
'', wrote that the party "has had a historically loyal following of 10 to 12 percent of the population, but probably has little chance to expand from that base." Following the
2018 Armenian Velvet Revolution
The 2018 Armenian Revolution, most commonly known in Armenia as #MerzhirSerzhin ( hy, ՄերժիրՍերժին, meaning "#RejectSerzh"), was a series of anti-government protests in Armenia from April to May 2018 staged by various political and ...
, the party polled at 1–2%. The ARF, for the first time since 1999, did not win seats in parliament and effectively became an
extra-parliamentary opposition An extra-parliamentary opposition is a political movement opposed to a ruling government or political party that chooses not to engage in elections. Many social movements could be categorized as an extra-parliamentary opposition.
Europe
The German ...
party. However, the party gained 10 seats in parliament following the 2021 elections, as part of the
Armenia Alliance
Armenia Alliance ( hy, Հայաստան դաշինք, Hayastan dashink’, HD) is an Armenian political alliance. It was founded in 2021 and is currently led by former President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan.
History
During the 2020–2021 Armenian ...
coalition.
Artsakh
After the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
expanded into the
South Caucasus
The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Arme ...
, it established the
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) within the
Azerbaijan SSR
Azerbaijan ( az, Азәрбајҹан, Azərbaycan, italics=no), officially the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (Azerbaijan SSR; az, Азәрбајҹан Совет Сосиалист Республикасы, Azərbaycan Sovet Sosialist R ...
in 1923.
In the final years of the Soviet Union, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation established a branch in Nagorno-Karabakh. In January 1991, the Dashnaktsutiun won the parliamentary election and governed as the ruling party during the entirety of the
Nagorno-Karabakh war.
The Dashnaks actively supported the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh (or
Artsakh as Armenians call it). It aided the
Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army
The Artsakh Defence Army ( hy, Արցախի Հանրապետության պաշտպանության բանակ, Artsakhi Hanrapetut’yan pashtpanut’yan banak) is the defence force of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Est ...
by sending armed volunteers to the front lines and supplying the army with weapons, food, medicine and moral support. The party even had its own infantry battalion, subordinated to NKR army command, the "Shushi independent battalion", which became one of the most efficient Armenian units during the war. After deciding not to run in the second parliamentary elections, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation ran in the 1999 elections and won 9 of the 33 seats in the
National Assembly of Nagorno Karabakh
The National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh ( hy, Արցախի Հանրապետության Ազգային ժողով, Artsakhi Hanrapetut'yan Azgayin zhoghov; often shortened: , ) is the legislative branch of the government of the Republic ...
.
At the June 2005
elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...
, the Dashnaktsutiun was part of an electoral alliance with
Movement 88 that won 3 out of 33 seats. Following the March 2020
elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...
, the party won 3 seats in the National Assembly.
Ideology and goals
![United Armenia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/United_Armenia.png)
The principal founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation were nationalist,
socialists, and
Marxist
Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
elements were omnipresent in the introductory section of the party's first program written by
Rosdom
Stepan Zorian (Armenian: Ստեփան Զօրեան, 1867–1919), better known by his '' nom de guerre'' Rostom (), was one of the three founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and a leader of the Armenian national liberation movement. ...
, entitled "General Theory".
The ARF first set down its ideological and political goals during the
Hamidian regime. It denounced the Ottoman regime and the unbearable conditions of life for its Armenians and advocated changing the regime in power and securing more rights through revolution and armed struggle. The ARF had and still has
socialism
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
within its
political philosophy
Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, l ...
. Its program expresses the entire, multifaceted make-up of the Armenian revolutionary movement, including its national-liberation, political, and social-economic aspects.
Politically the ARF is aligned with
Marxist
Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
socialism, being influenced by Marxist analysis of history, capitalism, and politics.
Despite subsequent modifications, the above-mentioned principles and tendencies continue to characterize the ideological world of the Dashnaktsutiun, and its approach toward issues has remained unchanged. In recent decades, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation reasserted itself ideologically and reformulated the section of its program called "General Theory", adapting it to current concepts of socialism, democracy and rights of
self-determination
The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a ''jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It stat ...
.
The party has long supported a
parliamentary republic
A parliamentary republic is a republic that operates under a parliamentary system of government where the executive branch (the government) derives its legitimacy from and is accountable to the legislature (the parliament). There are a number ...
an political system and campaigned for a "yes" vote in the
2015 constitutional referendum.
Its primary goals are:
*Creation of a free, independent, and united Armenia. The borders of
United Armenia shall include all territories designated as Armenia by the
Treaty of Sèvres
The Treaty of Sèvres (french: Traité de Sèvres) was a 1920 treaty signed between the Allies of World War I and the Ottoman Empire. The treaty ceded large parts of Ottoman territory to France, the United Kingdom, Greece and Italy, as well ...
as well as the regions of
Artsakh,
Javakhk
Javakheti ( ka, ჯავახეთი ) or Javakhk ( hy, Ջավախք, ''Javakhk'') is a historical province in southern Georgia, corresponding to the modern municipalities of Akhalkalaki, Aspindza (partly), Ninotsminda, and partly to the Tu ...
, and
Nakhichevan (''See map'').
*International condemnation of the
genocide
Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Latin ...
committed by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians, return of the lands which are occupied, and just reparations to the Armenian nation
*The gathering of worldwide expatriate Armenians on the lands of United Armenia.
*Strengthening Armenia's statehood, institutionalization of democracy and the rule of law, securing the people's economic well-being, and establishment of social justice, and a democratic and socialistic independent republic in Armenia
In 1907, the Dashnaktsutiun joined the
Second International
The Second International (1889–1916) was an organisation of socialist and labour parties, formed on 14 July 1889 at two simultaneous Paris meetings in which delegations from twenty countries participated. The Second International continued th ...
until its dissolution during World War I. It later joined the reformed
Socialist International
The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisations. ...
and remained a full member until 1960, when it decided to pull out of the organization.
In 1996, it was re-accepted as an observer member, and in 1999 the Dashnaks earned full membership in the international organization.
The party was also a member of the
Labour and Socialist International
The Labour and Socialist International (LSI; german: Sozialistische Arbeiter-Internationale, label=German, SAI) was an international organization of socialist and labour parties, active between 1923 and 1940. The group was established through a me ...
between 1923 and 1940.
A member of the ARF is called ''Dashnaktsakan'' (in
Eastern Armenian
Eastern Armenian ( ''arevelahayeren'') is one of the two standardized forms of Modern Armenian, the other being Western Armenian. The two standards form a pluricentric language.
Eastern Armenian is spoken in Armenia, Artsakh, Russia, as we ...
) or ''Tashnagtsagan'' (in
Western Armenian
Western Armenian ( Classical spelling: , ) is one of the two standardized forms of Modern Armenian, the other being Eastern Armenian. It is based mainly on the Istanbul Armenian dialect, as opposed to Eastern Armenian, which is mainly based ...
), or Dashnak/Tashnag for short. Other than calling each other by name, members formally address one another as ''
Comrade
The term ''comrade'' (russian: товарищ, tovarisch) generally means 'mate', 'colleague', or 'ally', and derives from the Spanish and Portuguese, term , literally meaning 'chamber mate', from Latin , meaning 'chamber' or 'room'. It may also ...
'' (Ընկեր or ''Unger'' for boys and men, Ընկերուհի or ''Ungerouhi'' for girls and women).
The party has supported some
pro-European
Pro-Europeanism, sometimes called European Unionism, is a political position that favours European integration and membership of the European Union (EU).Krisztina Arató, Petr Kaniok (editors). ''Euroscepticism and European Integration''. Polit ...
policies which favor the
European integration
European integration is the process of industrial, economic integration, economic, political, legal, social integration, social, and cultural Regional integration, integration of states wholly or partially in Europe or nearby. European integrat ...
of Armenia. The party was in favor of Armenia's continued political association and economic integration with the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
. However, in 2013 the ARF backed the government's decision to join the
Eurasian Economic Union
The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU or EEU)EAEU is the acronym used on thorganisation's website However, many media outlets use the acronym EEU. is an economic union of some post-Soviet states located in Eurasia. The Treaty on the Eurasian Econo ...
instead of signing an
Association Agreement and
DCTFA with the EU, stating that there were "security concerns" facing Armenia. In 2016, the ARF signed a memorandum of co-operation with the
Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) is the political group in the European Parliament of the Party of European Socialists (PES). The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats was officially founded as a Socialist ...
(S&D). Former S&D President
Gianni Pittella
Giovanni Saverio Furio Pittella (born 19 November 1958) is an Italian politician who served as Leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Group from 2014 to 2018 and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Italy from 1999 ...
stated, "Armenia deserves to benefit from both its membership of the Eurasian Economic Union and the closest relations with the European Union. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation has its place within the European social-democratic family."
Affiliate organizations
The
Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide
Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide (JCAG) ( hy, Հայկական Ցեղասպանութեան Արդարութեան Մարտիկներ, ՀՑԱՄ) was an Armenian militant organization active from 1975 to 1987.
JCAG conducted an interna ...
(JCAG) was the militant arm of the ARF, it was active in from 1975 to 1987. They were responsible for a number of assassinations of Turkish diplomats with their goal being bringing attention to the Armenian genocide.
The ARF is considered the foremost organization in the
Armenian diaspora
The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...
, having established numerous Armenian schools, community centers, Scouting and athletic groups, relief societies, youth groups, camps, and other organs throughout the world.
The ARF also works as an umbrella organ for the
Armenian Relief Society, the
Homenetmen Armenian General Athletic Union, the
Hamazkayin Cultural Foundation, and many other community organizations.
It operates the
Armenian Youth Federation
The Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) ( hy, Հայ Երիտասարդական Դաշնակցութիւն) is the youth organization of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. Founded in 1933, the AYF became a global Armenian organization and stands ...
, which encourages the youth of the diaspora to join the political cause of the ARF and the Armenian people.
The ARF Shant Student Association and the ARF Armen Karo Student Association are organizations of college and university students on various campuses and are the only ARF organizations whose membership is exclusively from this group.
US and Canada
Starting in late December 2020, a small group of former and punished ARF members believed to be loyalists of Viken "Alex" Hovsepian began to assert that they represent the organization in the Western United States and are not subject to the decisions of the ARF's highest body, the Bureau.
Earlier in December, the ARF's Bureau had appointed a new Central Committee in the Western United States, in compliance with the Bylaws of the ARF and ARF Western United States Region.
The Bylaws explicitly allow the Bureau to dissolve any Central Committee and appoint one for a temporary term until new and duly organized elections can be held. Within days of it being dissolved, a minority of the former Central Committee haphazardly called a "regional convention" in violation of not only California organizational laws but also prevailing COVID-related state and county health orders. This illegitimate meeting claimed to elect a new Central Committee in the Western United States, despite the fact that the meeting lacked the required two-thirds quorum, was not sanctioned or attended by the ARF Bureau, did not invite all the Gomidehutyuns (chapters) of the ARF in the Western Region, only gave two days' notice to those whom it did invite, and was not in compliance with California state organizational laws requiring ample notice for such meetings. Furthermore, the meeting was called at the peak of the
COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
in Los Angeles, California against state and county orders in effect at the time, which barred any such public gatherings.
Though the ARF Bureau attempted to resolve the issue amicably, the rogue group continued to insist that it will not hand over control of the ARF's and its subsidiary Armenian Cultural Foundation's assets over to the legitimately appointed Central Committee. To further aggravate the situation, the rogue group continued to represent itself as the Central Committee of the ARF in the Western United States. It then initiated lawsuits, including Federal RICO litigation, claiming that it is the legitimate ARF body in the Western United States. To attempt to substantiate its claims, the rogue group provided a falsified version of the ARF's Bylaws to the courts, which purport to claim that the ARF Bureau has no authority to dissolve and appoint a Central Committee. This, despite the fact that the real ARF Western United States Bylaws are a well-established fact, in circulation among all members and bodies of the organization.
While the legal ownership of the ARF's assets were under litigation, the rogue group continued to exercise control over some properties and assets. As such, the rogue group illegally installed fake Gomidehs (chapter executives) in some of the ARF chapters in the Western United States, handing over physical control over some of the chapters' buildings to the illegitimate chapter executives. One such example is th
ACF Glendale Youth Centerwhich was occupied by individuals who have been expelled from the ARF. An attempt was made by representatives of the rogue group to illegally occupy another center in La Crescenta, California. One of the representatives of the rogue group was even caught on surveillance video attempting to run over a volunteer with his car.
On July 18, 2021, at the ARF Western United States 55th Regional Convention, sanctioned and attended by the ARF Bureau, and in accordance with the organization's bylaws, a new Central Committee of the ARF Western United States Region was elected for a two-year term. On March 8, 2022, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation's World Congress, its highest authority, issued a public statement re-affirming that "the only ARF entity operating in the Western United States region is the ARF Central Committee elected for a term of two years on July 18, 2021 at the ARF Western United States 55th Regional Convention. This entity is the only one authorized to incorporate the use of the ARF's name and use its flag, insignia and anthem."
On 3 April 2022, the ARF Western United States of America celebrated the organization's 131st anniversary at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California. At the event, it was announced that the organization's new official publication in the Western United States is ''Oragark''.
Armenian National Committee of America
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) ( hy, Ամերիկայի Հայ դատի յանձնախումբ) an Armenian American grassroots organization. Its headquarters is in Washington, D.C., and it has regional offices in Glendale, ...
, an ARF-affiliate organization, is the strongest
Armenian lobby organization in the United States. Its sister organization Armenian National Committee of Canada, operates in Canada as the strongest and most influential Armenian-Canadian organization.
Other countries
Branches of the Armenian National Committee in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Egypt, England, France, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Russia, Switzerland, Syria, the Netherlands and Uruguay subsequently have played a significant role in the campaign for the
recognition of the Armenian genocide
Armenian genocide recognition is the formal acceptance that the systematic massacres and forced deportation of Armenians committed by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, during and after the First World War, constituted genocide. Most hist ...
in their respective countries.
Media
ARF and its affiliate organizations worldwide publish 12 newspapers: 4 daily and 8 weekly. Also, there are two TV channels, including one online. Two radio stations are aired everyday, including one online.
;Periodicals
;Television
;Radio
See also
*
Armenian national movement
*
Armenian fedayees
*
List of Armenian Revolutionary Federation members
This is the list of prominent Armenian Revolutionary Federation members throughout history.
Founders
*Christapor Mikaelian (1859-1905)
*Stepan Zorian (1867-1919)
*Simon Zavarian (1866-1913)
Fedayees
*Sose Mayrig (1865-1952)
* Aghbiur Serob (1 ...
*
Armenian Revolutionary Federation in Lebanon
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF or ՀՅԴ) ( hy, Հայ Յեղափոխական Դաշնակցութիւն ''Hay Heghapokhagan Tashnagtsutiun'', ''Tashnag'') (in Arabic الإتحاد الثوري الأرمني - الطاشناق), als ...
*
ARF History Museum
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation History Museum ( hy, Հ. Յ. Դաշնակցութեան պատմութեան թանգարան հիմնադրամ) is a museum in Yerevan, Armenia, that displays the history of the First Republic of Armenia and ...
References
;Notes
;Sources
Further reading
*
*
Ramgavar
The Armenian Democratic Liberal Party ( hy, Ռամկավար Ազատական Կուսակցութիւն), the Ramgavar Party, (known before 1921 as the Armenakan party) ( hy, Արմենական Կուսակցութիւն), also known by its Ar ...
author]
* [a publication by the ARF]
*
External links
Official web site – Armenian Revolutionary FederationOfficial English language site – Armenian Revolutionary Federation – Dashnaktsutyun (Armenian Socialist Party)Armenian Revolutionary Federation Shant Student AssociationArmenian Revolutionary Federation Archives Institute
* Altintas, Toygun
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) in
{{Authority control
Political parties in Armenia
Transnational political parties
1890 establishments in the Russian Empire
Political parties established in 1890
Party of European Socialists member parties
Anti-communist organizations
Armenian national liberation movement