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=== Russian Empire ===
=== Russian Empire ===
The ARF gradually acquired significant strength and sympathy among [[Russian Armenians]]. Mainly because of the ARF's stance towards the Ottoman Empire, the party enjoyed the support of the central Russian administration, as [[tsarist]] and ARF foreign policy had the same alignment until 1903.<ref name="Anna Geifman">{{cite book | last = Geifman | first = Anna | title = Thou Shalt Kill: Revolutionary Terrorism in Russia, 1894-1917 | pages = p. 21-22 | id = ISBN 0-691-02549-5}}</ref> On [[June 12]] [[1903]], the tsarist authorities passed an edict to bring all Armenian Church property under imperial control. This was faced by strong ARF opposition, because it perceived the tsarist edict as a threat to the Armenian national existence. As a result, the ARF leadership decided to actively defend Armenian churches by dispatching militiamen who acted as guards and holding mass demonstrations.<ref name="Anna Geifman">{{cite book | last = Geifman | first = Anna | title = Thou Shalt Kill: Revolutionary Terrorism in Russia, 1894-1917 | pages = p. 21-22 | id = ISBN 0-691-02549-5}}</ref><ref name="tempest">{{cite book |first = Simon | last = Vratsian | title = Tempest-Born DRO | publisher = Armenian Prelacy, New York, translated by Tamar Der-Ohannesian | pages = pp. 13-22 | year = 2000}}</ref>
The ARF gradually acquired significant strength and sympathy among [[Russian Armenians]]. Mainly because of the ARF's stance towards the Ottoman Empire, the party enjoyed the support of the central Russian administration, as [[tsarist]] and ARF foreign policy had the same alignment until 1903.<ref name="Anna Geifman">{{cite book | last = Geifman | first = Anna | title = Thou Shalt Kill: Revolutionary Terrorism in Russia, 1894-1917 | pages = p. 21-22 | id = ISBN 0-691-02549-5}}</ref> On [[June 12]] [[1903]], the tsarist authorities passed an edict to bring all Armenian Church property under imperial control. This was faced by strong ARF opposition, because it perceived the tsarist edict as a threat to the Armenian national existence. As a result, the ARF leadership decided to actively defend Armenian churches by dispatching militiamen who acted as guards and holding mass demonstrations.<ref name="Anna Geifman">{{cite book | last = Geifman | first = Anna | title = Thou Shalt Kill: Revolutionary Terrorism in Russia, 1894-1917 | pages = p. 21-22 | id = ISBN 0-691-02549-5}}</ref><ref name="tempest">{{cite book |first = Simon | last = Vratsian | title = Tempest-Born DRO | publisher = Armenian Prelacy, New York, translated by Tamar Der-Ohannesian | pages = pp. 13-22 | year = 2000}}</ref>

In Tsarist Russia ARF became known for its guerilla and revolutionary activities. Armenian pro-Bolshevik scholar Papazian noted in this regard that many Armenians get tired of the ARF who terrorized their own people, extorting money from wealthy Armenians. A terrorist faction had developed within the party and gained domination of the whole <ref> K.S. Papazian. Patriotism Perverted, Boston, 1934, pp.13-18 </ref> During Armenian-Tatar clashes 1905-1906 the ARF led armed units which attacked Muslim settlements. Russian Tsar's Envoy in the Caucasus Vorontsov-Dashkov noted that ARF bore a major portion of responsibilities for perpatrating the massacres. Their bands would attack the Muslim and often exterminate the population of entire villages <ref> «Всеподданейшая записка по управлению кавказским краем генерала адьютанта графа Воронцова-Дашкова», СПб.: Государственная Тип., 1907, с.12 </ref> Negative opinion about ARF was seconded by a contemporary writer Vladimir Maevskiy in his work "Армяно-татарская смута на Кавказе, как один из фазисов армянского вопроса" (published in 1906) A British source also claims that the ARF played a negative role in 1905-1906 clashes <ref>Henry, J.D. Baku An Eventful History (With many illustrations and a map) London, Archibald Constable & Co. Ltd 16, James Street, Haymarket, November, 1905, p. 149-150</ref> The ARF, however, argued that Armenians were attacked by Muslims and it defended their compatriots. The ARF regarded an armed activity, including terror, as necessary tool for achievement of political goals. <ref> Gerard Libaridian "Revolution and Liberation in the 1982 and 1907 Programs of the Dashnaktsutun". In Ronald Suny (ed) Transcaucasia, Nationalism, and Social Change: Essays in the History of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, (2nd edn., Ann Arbor, MI, 1996, pp. 166-167 </ref>


In January of 1912, 159 members, comprised of 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]] 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.<ref>{{cite book
In January of 1912, 159 members, comprised of 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]] 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.<ref>{{cite book

Revision as of 15:55, 13 April 2007

Հայ Յեղափոխական Դաշնակցութիւն
Armenian Revolutionary Federation
ARF logo ARF logo
Foundation: 1890
Founders: Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, Simon Zavarian
Head: Hrant Markarian
Ideology: Socialism,[1] Nationalism[2]
International alignment: Socialist International[1]
Colours: Red[α]
Seats:
  • Armenia – 11 seats out of 131
  • Nagorno-Karabakh – 3 seats out of 33
  • Lebanon – 2 seats out of 128
Website: Party's Official Web Site

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF or ՀՅԴ) (Armenian: Template:Hayeren – Hay Heghapokhakan Dashnaktsutiun, Dashnaktsutiun, Template:Hayeren – Dashnak or Tashnag) is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis (Tbilisi in modern day Georgia) in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian.[3] The party operates in Armenia and in countries where the Armenian diaspora is present, notably in Lebanon and the ethnically Armenian-dominated de facto Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.[4][5]

The ARF advocates socialism and is a member of the Socialist International.[1] It possesses the largest number of members from the political parties present in the Armenian diaspora, having established affiliates in over 200 countries.[2] Compared to other Armenian parties which tend to primarily focus on educational or humanitarian projects, the Dashnaktsutiun is the most politically oriented of the organizations and traditionally has been one of the staunchest supporters of Armenian nationalism.[2] A member of the ARF is called "Dashnaktsagan" (in Eastern Armenian) or "Tashnagtsagan" (in Western Armenian). Other than by calling each other by name, members would formally address one another as "Comrade" (Ընկեր - "Unger" for boys and men, Ընկերուհի - "Ungerouhi" for girls and women).[6]

The ARF first appeared in the Ottoman Empire in the early 1890s. It was created to unify the various small groups in the empire that were advocating for reform and to defend Armenian villages from Ottoman massacres that were widely present in Armenian-populated areas of the empire. ARF members would arm themselves into fedayee groups which would defend Armenian civilians through the use of armed resistance.[β] The Dashnaks also worked to create a "free, independent and unified" Armenia, although they sometimes subsided this goal in favor of a more realistic approach such as fighting for autonomy. The party was instrumental in the creation of the short-lived Democratic Republic of Armenia which fell to the Soviet communists in 1920.[7] After its leadership was exiled by the communists, the ARF established itself in the Armenian diaspora where it helped Armenians preserve their cultural identity.[8] After the fall of the USSR it returned to Armenia where it is now part of the ruling government coalition.

Early history

See also: Armenian national liberation movement

In the late 1800s, Eastern Europe and Russia became the hub of small groups who were advocating for reform in Armenian-populated areas in the Ottoman Empire. In 1890, recognizing the need to unify these groups in order to be more efficient, Christapor Mikaelian, Simon Zavarian and Stepan Zorian created a new political party called the "Federation of Armenian Revolutionaries" (Template:Hayeren), which would eventually be called the "Armenian Revolutionary Federation" or "Dashnaktsutiun" in 1892.[9]

ARF Founders left to right: Stepan Zorian, Christapor Mikaelian, Simon Zavarian

The Hunchakians at one point had agreed to join as well, seeing that the ARF's political ideology was socialism. However, the Hunchakians claimed the new party was not Marxist enough, and withdrew from the union. The original aim of the ARF was to gain autonomy of the Armenian-populated areas in the Ottoman Empire. The party began to organize itself in the Ottoman Empire in the early 1890s and held its first major meeting in Tiflis, Georgia in 1892.[3][9] At that meeting, 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 speech, freedom of religion and agrarian reform.[3][9]

Russian Empire

The ARF gradually acquired significant strength and sympathy among Russian Armenians. Mainly because of the ARF's stance towards the Ottoman Empire, the party enjoyed the support of the central Russian administration, as tsarist and ARF foreign policy had the same alignment until 1903.[10] On June 12 1903, the tsarist authorities passed an edict to bring all Armenian Church property under imperial control. This was faced by strong ARF opposition, because it perceived the tsarist edict as a threat to the Armenian national existence. As a result, the ARF leadership decided to actively defend Armenian churches by dispatching militiamen who acted as guards and holding mass demonstrations.[10][11]

In Tsarist Russia ARF became known for its guerilla and revolutionary activities. Armenian pro-Bolshevik scholar Papazian noted in this regard that many Armenians get tired of the ARF who terrorized their own people, extorting money from wealthy Armenians. A terrorist faction had developed within the party and gained domination of the whole [12] During Armenian-Tatar clashes 1905-1906 the ARF led armed units which attacked Muslim settlements. Russian Tsar's Envoy in the Caucasus Vorontsov-Dashkov noted that ARF bore a major portion of responsibilities for perpatrating the massacres. Their bands would attack the Muslim and often exterminate the population of entire villages [13] Negative opinion about ARF was seconded by a contemporary writer Vladimir Maevskiy in his work "Армяно-татарская смута на Кавказе, как один из фазисов армянского вопроса" (published in 1906) A British source also claims that the ARF played a negative role in 1905-1906 clashes [14] The ARF, however, argued that Armenians were attacked by Muslims and it defended their compatriots. The ARF regarded an armed activity, including terror, as necessary tool for achievement of political goals. [15]

In January of 1912, 159 members, comprised of 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 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.[16] Kerensky succeeded in having the evidence reexamined for one of the defendants. He along with several other lawyers "made openly contemptuous declarations" about this discrepancy to the Russian press, which was forbidden to attend the trials, which in turn greatly embarrassed the Senators. The Senate eventually open an inquiry against the chief magistrate who had brought up the charges against the Dashnak members and concluded that he was insane. Ninety four of the accused were acquitted of the charges while the rest were either imprisoned or exiled for varying periods, the most severe being six years.[17]

Ottoman Empire

Main articles: Sasun Resistance, 1896 Ottoman Bank takeover, Khanasor Expedition, and Yildiz Attempt

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 First Sasun Resistance, supplying arms to the local population to help the people of Sasun defend themselves against the Hamidian purges.[18] In June of 1896, the Armenakans organized the Defense of Van in the province of Van where Ottoman Hamidieh soldiers were to attack the city. The Armenakans, assisted by members of the Hunchakian and ARF parties, supplied all able-bodied men of Van with weapons. They rose in defense and protected the civilians from the attack and subsequent massacre.[19]

File:Fedayees.JPG
Fedayee group fighting under the ARF banner. Text in Armenian reads "Azadoutioun gam mah" (Liberty or Death)

In order to raise awareness of the massacres of 1895-1896, members of the Dashnaktsutiun led by Papken Siuni, occupied the Ottoman Bank in August 26, 1896.[20] 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.[21]

The Khanasor Expedition was performed by the Armenian militia against the Kurdish Mazrik tribe on July 25, 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 decision to retaliate.[18][22] Some Armenians consider this their first victory over the Ottoman Empire and celebrate each year in its remembrance.[23][24]

On March 30, 1904, the ARF played a major role in the Second Sasun Resistance. The ARF sent arms and fedayees to defend the region for the second time.[18] Among the five hundred fedayees participating in the resistance were top figures such as Kevork Chavoush, Sepasdatsi Murad and Hrayr Djoghk. They managed to hold off the Ottoman army for several months, despite their lack of fighters and firepower.[18]

In 1905, members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation organized the Yildiz Attempt, which was an assassination attempted on Sultan Abdul Hamid II in the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Constantinople (modern day Istanbul).[18] The Yildiz Attempt failed to assassinate the Sultan, as the timed bomb missed its target by a few minutes. The Dashnaksutiun also lost one of its founders, Kristapor Mikaelian, in an accidental explosion during the planning of the operation.

Young Turk Revolution

See also: Young Turk Revolution

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 Young Turks who had been educated in Europe.[25] In a general assembly meeting in 1907, the ARF acknowledged that the Armenian and Turkish revolutionaries had the same goals. Although the Tanzimat reforms had given Armenians more rights and seats in the parliament, the ARF was looking 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 in 1907. Opposition leaders including Ahmed Riza (liberal), Sabahheddin Bey, and ARF member Khachatur Maloumian were in attendance. During the meeting, an alliance between the two parties was officially declared.[25][26] 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. Armenians did gain 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. The ARF thus decided to cut relations with the Young Turks in 1912.[26]

Iranian Constitutional Revolution

See also: Iranian Constitutional Revolution

The Dashnaktsutiun held a meeting on April 26, 1907, dubbed the Fourth General Congress, where leaders of the ARF such as Aram Manougian, Hamo Ohanjanyan and Stepan Stepanian discussed their engagement in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution.[27] They established that the movement was one that had political, ideological and economic components and thus were aimed at the establishment of 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. The final vote was 25 votes in favour and one absentia.[27]

Yeprem Khan was a revolutionary leader of Iran.

From 1907-1908, during the time when the Young Turks came to power in the Ottoman Empire, Armenians from the Caucasus, Western Armenia, and Iran started to collaborate with Iranian constitutionalists and revolutionaries.[27] 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 a military one, as it sent some of its well known fedayees to Iran after the guerrilla campaign in the Ottoman Empire stopped with the rise of the Young Turks.[27] A notable ARF member already in Iran was Yeprem Khan, 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 V. Liakhov, Yeprem Khan rallied with Sattar Khan and other revolutionary leaders in the Constitutional Revolution of Iran against Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar.[28] 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.[28] 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 and after several battles, took over the Majles building and the Sepahsalar mosque. Yeprem Khan was then appointed chief of Tehran police. This caused tensions between the Dashnaks and Khan.[28]

World War I and the Armenian Genocide

See also: World War I, Armenian Genocide, and Armenian resistance
File:Arammanougian.JPG
Aram Manougian, one of the leaders of the Van Resistance

In 1915, Dashnak leaders were deported and killed alongside other Armenian intellectuals during a crackdown by Ottoman officials on the Armenian leadership.[29] 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 Manougian who had risen to fame and gained the nickname "Aram of Van".[30] Moreover, on April 19, he issued an order to exterminate all Armenians, and threatened to kill all Muslims who helped them.[31]

There were approximately 185,000 Armenians in Vaspurakan. 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 April 20, 1915, with Aram Manougian 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.[30] The Dashnaktsutiun was also involved in other less-successful resistance movements in Zeitun, Shabin-Karahisar, Urfa, and Musa Dagh. After the end of the Van resistance, ARF leader Aram Manougian became governor of the Administration for Western Armenia and worked to ease the sufferings of Armenians.

At the end of World War I, members of the Young Turks movement who were considered as executors of the Armenian Genocide by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation were assassinated in the operation deemed Operation Nemesis.[32][33]

Democratic Republic of Armenia

Main article: Democratic Republic of Armenia

As a result of the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917, the Armenian, Georgian, and Muslim leaders of the Caucasus united to create the Transcaucasian Federation in the winter of 1918. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk had drastic consequences for the Armenians: the Turkish forces reoccupied Western Armenia. The federation lasted for only three months, eventually paving way for the proclamation of the Republics of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. The negotiators for Armenia were from the ARF.[34]

The members of the First Cabinet, during James Guthrie Harbord's interview for the Harbord report on Middle East

With the collapse of the Transcaucasian Federation, the Armenians were left to fend for themselves as the Turkish army approached the capital of Yerevan. 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 the Colonel Pirumian decided that they would not surrender and confront the Turkish army.[35] The opposing armies met on May 28, 1918 near Sardarapat. The battle was a major military success for the Armenian army as it was able to repel the invading Turkish forces.[36] The Armenians also stood their ground at the Battle of Kara Killisse and at the Battle of Bash Abaran. The creation of the Democratic Republic of Armenia 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, thousands of refugees and the population starving.[35]

The ARF, led by "Zoravar" 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 26 miles of the city when the First World War ended and Turkey, along with Germany and Austria-Hungary, surrendered to the Allies.[37] British forces ordered Andranik to stop all military advances, giving him the assurances that the conflict would be solved with the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. Andranik, not wanting to antagonize relations with the British, retreated to Gorin, Zangezur.[37]

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation had a strong presence in the DRA government. Most of the important governmental posts, such as Prime Minister, Defence Minister and Interior Minister were controlled by its members. Despite their tight grip on power, the ARF was unable to stop the impending Communist invasion from the north, which culminated with a Soviet takeover in 1920.[7] The ARF was banned, its leaders exiled and many of its members dispersed to other parts of the world.[7]

Exile

The ARF established branches in the Armenian diaspora (Diaspora pictured).
See also: Armenian diaspora

After the communists took over the short-lived Democratic Republic of Armenia and ARF leaders were exiled, the Dashnaks moved their base of operations where the Armenian diaspora had settled. With the large influx of Armenian refugees in the Levant, the ARF established a strong political structure in Lebanon and to a lesser extent, Syria. From 1921 to 1990, the Dashnaktsutiun established political structures in over 200 states including the USA, where another large influx of Armenians settled.[2]

In 1933, the Dashnaks were suspects in the assassination of Armenian archbishop Levon Tourian in New York City. Prior to his murder, the archbishop had been accused of being exclusively pro-Soviet by the ARF.[38] However, the ARF itself was legally exonerated from any direct complicity in the assassination.[39]

During the 1950s, tensions arose between the ARF and Armenian SSR. The death of Catholicos Garegin of the Holy See of Cilicia 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.[21] This event split the large Armenian community of Lebanon, creating sporadic clashes between the supporters of Zareh and those who opposed his election.[21]

This 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 took control and supported the creation of a "Free, Independent, and United Armenia", free from both Soviet and Turkish hegemony. The Social Democrat Hunchakian Party and AGBU, the main rivals of the ARF, supported the newly established Soviet rule in Armenia.[21]

Lebanon

Politics of Lebanon

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From 1923 to 1958, conflicts erupted among Armenian political parties struggling to dominate and organize the diaspora. In 1926, a struggle between committees of the ARF and Hunchakian parties for control of the newly established shanty-town of Bourj Hammoud led to the assassination of ARF member Vahan Vartabedian. As retaliation for the murder, Hunchakian members Mihran Aghazarian and S. Dekhrouhi were assassinated in 1929 and 1931 respectively.[40] 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.[21]

Prior to the Lebanese Civil War of 1975-1990, the party was closely allied to the Phalangist Party of Pierre Gemayel, and generally ran joint tickets with the Phalangists, especially in Beirut constituencies with large Armenian populations.[41] 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 (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.[41] Many Armenians affiliated with the ARF took up arms voluntarily to defend their quarters. In the midst of the Lebanese civil war, a shadowy guerrilla organization called Justice Commandos Against Armenian Genocide emerged and carried out a string of assassinations from 1975 to 1983. The guerrilla organization has sometimes been linked to the Dashnaks.[42]

A major change occurred in the parliamentary election of 2000. Negotiations to form a joint ticket between the ARF and the Karama (Dignity) party of Rafik Hariri broke down over Hariri's insistence that all candidates elected on his list, including ARF candidates, would have to form a unified parliamentary block subsequently - a rarity in Lebanese politics. This would make the Armenian vote in the Chamber subservient to Hariri's wishes.[43] In addition, Hariri refused the ARF proposal to chose an Armenian candidate for the sole seat allocated to Lebanon's Protestant community (many of whom are ethnically Armenian), insisting that that seat should go to an ally of his.[43] The ARF decided to go it alone, although other Armenian parties joined Hariri's list. In an unprecedented sweep, the Dignity movement and its allies captured 13 of Beirut's 19 seats, and the ARF was left with only 1 parliamentary seat, its worst result in many decades.[43]

The ARF called for a boycott of the 2005 Beirut elections after it was disgruntled when the four seats normally reserved for Beirut's large Armenian community had gone unopposed to Hariri's candidates.[44]

There had also been speculation that the Lebanese branch of the ARF had broken away from the main party's political ideology of socialism and embraced capitalism.[41] These claims were denied by prominent ARF member and Minister of Agriculture of Armenia Davit Lokian.[45] The Dashnaktsutiun has an official newspaper in Lebanon known as the Aztag Daily Newspaper.

Ethnic Armenians are allocated 6 seats in Lebanon's 128-member National Assembly. 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 although it currently holds 2 seats.[4] It has generally avoided entanglement in sensitive domestic issues, usually supporting whatever government has happened to be in power. However, the ARF harshly criticized the Lebanese government's decision in 2006 to invite the deployment of Turkish troops as part of the multilateral UN peacekeeping force.[46]

Post Soviet-Armenia

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Armenia

The ARF has always maintained its ideological commitment to "a Free, Independent, and United Armenia."[47] The term United Armenia refers to the borders of Armenia that were recognized by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and outlined in the Treaty of Sèvres.[48] After Armenia fell under Soviet control in 1920, the ARF, now dispersed throughout the Armenian diaspora, fought 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.[49] However, due to tight communist control, the ARF could not operate in the Armenian SSR as the political party remained banned until 1991.

When independence was achieved in 1991, the ARF soon became one of the major and most active political parties, rivaled mainly by the Pan-Armenian National Movement (PANM). Consequently, on December 28, 1994 President Levon Ter-Petrossian in a live television speech banned the ARF, which was the nation's leading opposition party, along with Yerkir, the country's largest daily newspaper.[50] Throughout the evening, government security forces arrested leading ARF figures. Police seized computers, fax machines, files and printing equipment from their offices. In addition to Yerkir, government forces also closed several other literary, women's, cultural, and youth publications.[50] Thirty-one men, who would later be known as the "Dro Group", were arrested under the charges of conspiracy to commit terrorism and seek the overthrow of the government and were convicted and sentenced to prison. Jhirair Libaridyan, a historian and close adviser of Ter-Petrossian presented the evidence against the defendants. He later stated in an interview that he was unsure if the evidence was true or not, suggesting that notion that the party was closed due to its increasing chances of winning seats.[51] The ban on the party was lifted, however, less than a week after Ter-Petrossian fell from power and was replaced by Robert Kocharian who was backed by the Dashnaks.[7]

As of 2007, the ARF is one of the three parties in the government coalition, along with the Republican Party and United Labor Party. The Country of Law party was also a member of the governing coalition, until it pulled out in May 2006. With 11 of the 131 seats in the National Assembly of Armenia, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation is the major socialist party in Armenia and the second-largest party in parliament.

In addition to its parliamentary seats, the following governmental ministries are also headed by ARF members: Ministry of Agriculture, Davit Lokian;[52]Ministry of Education and Science, Levon Mkrtchian;[53]Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Aghvan Vardanian;[54]Ministry of Healthcare, Norair Davidian[55]

Nagorno-Karabakh

After the Soviet Union expanded into the South Caucasus, it established the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) within the Azerbaijan SSR in 1923.[56][57][58] In the final years of the Soviet Union, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation established a branch in Nagorno-Karabakh. In January of 1991, the Dashnaktsutiun won the parliamentary election and governed as the ruling party during the entirety of the Nagorno-Karabakh war.[59] The Dashnaks actively supported the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh (or Artsakh as the ARF and most Armenians call it). It aided the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army by sending armed volunteers to the front lines and supplying the army with weapons, food, medicine and moral support.[60] Shamil Basayev, commander of the Chechen volunteer forces in the Nagorno-Karabakh war, claimed that he and his battalion had only lost once, and that defeat came in Karabakh in fighting against the "Dashnak battalion".[61] 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.[59] At the June 2005 elections, the Dashnaktsutiun was part of an electoral alliance with Movement 88 that won 3 out of 33 seats.

Political philosophy and goals

File:Miatsyalhayasdan2english.jpg
The Armenian state demanded by the ARF including lands to be ceded by each country created by the Treaty of Sèvres.(image dated during existence of USSR)

The principal founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation were socialists, and Marxist elements are omnipresent in the introductory section of the Party's first Program written by Rosdom, entitled "General Theory".[62] The ARF first set its ideological and political goals during the Hamidian regime. It denounced the Ottoman regime, and the unbearable conditions of life for the Armenians, and stressed the necessity, through revolution, of "shaking off that infamous yoke; destroying the despotic, tyrannical regime; achieving a fraternity of nations, the right to work, and freedom of conscience, speech, and belief", and also, "struggling against the class of economic exploiters". Then, the objective of the Dashnaktsutiun was formulated: "To attain political and economic freedom in Turkish Armenia by means of insurrection". The ARF is riddled with socialism in its political philosophy. The Program stressed the historical necessity of changing those conditions through armed struggle. Without using the terms "Independence", "Democracy", and "Socialism", the Program expresses the entire, multifaceted make-up of the Armenian revolutionary movement, including its national-liberation, political, and social-economic aspects.[63]

Despite subsequent partial modifications, clarifications, and amendments, the above-mentioned principles and tendencies, in their fundamental outlines, continued to characterize the ideological world of the Dashnaktsutiun, and its realistic approach toward issues has remained unchanged. In the past decades, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation reasserted itself ideologically, and reformulated the section in the Program called "General Theory", adapting it to the current conceptions of socialism and democracy, the nationalities question, the right of self-determination, and the legitimacy of national-liberation struggles.[63] Its goals are:

  • The 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 as well as the regions of Artsakh, Javakhk, and Nakhichevan (See map on right).[8]
  • international condemnation of the Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians, return of the lands which are claimed to be occupied, and just reparations to the Armenian nation.[8]
  • strengthening Armenia's statehood, institutionalization of democracy and the rule of law, securing the people's economic well being, and establishment of social justice, a democratic and socialistic independent republic in Armenia.[8]

The ARF is often criticized and accused of having a present strategy that does not differ from the one used during the time of the Ottoman Empire. Their tactics are viewed as still being aimed at convincing Western governments and diplomatic circles to sponsor the party's demands.[64]

In 1907, the Dashnaktsutiun joined Socialist International and remained a full member until 1960, when it decided to pull out of the organization. In 1996, it was re-accepted as an observor member and in 1999, the Dashnaks earned full membership of the international organization.[65]

Affiliate organizations

The ARF is considered the foremost organization in the Armenian diaspora, having established numerous Armenian schools, community centers, scouting and athletic groups, relief societies, youth groups, camps, and other organs throughout the world.[2] The ARF also works as an umbrella organ to the Armenian National Committee of America, the Armenian Relief Society, the Homenetmen Armenian General Athletic Union, the Hamazkayin Cultural Foundation, and numerous other community organizations.[2] It operates the Armenian Youth Federation, which encourages the youth of the diaspora to join the political cause of the ARF and the Armenian people. The ARF-affiliated Armenian National Committee of America,[66] and its sister organizations such as the Armenian National Committee of Canada subsequently have played a significant role in the campaign for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide in their respective countries. The ARF Shant Student Association and the ARF Armen Karo Student Association are comprised of college and university student members in various campuses and are the only ARF organizations whose membership is exclusively comprised of this group. Unlike the Armenian Youth Federation, one can not be an ARF Shant member without being a rank-and-file party member. In December of 2006, the ARF Shant held a panel discussion on the reintegration and redevelopment of western Armenian lands upon their return as a reparation for the Armenian Genocide.[67]

Notes

     α.   ^ Note that red is the colour used on the Dashnak flag and also the colour that represents the Socialist ideology.

     β.   ^ Note the picture "ARF Fedayees" that shows fedayees under the ARF flag that reads in Armenian "Azadootioon gam Mah" ("Liberty or Death")[68]

Citations

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  10. ^ a b Geifman, Anna. Thou Shalt Kill: Revolutionary Terrorism in Russia, 1894-1917. pp. p. 21-22. ISBN 0-691-02549-5. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  11. ^ Vratsian, Simon (2000). Tempest-Born DRO. Armenian Prelacy, New York, translated by Tamar Der-Ohannesian. pp. pp. 13-22. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  12. ^ K.S. Papazian. Patriotism Perverted, Boston, 1934, pp.13-18
  13. ^ «Всеподданейшая записка по управлению кавказским краем генерала адьютанта графа Воронцова-Дашкова», СПб.: Государственная Тип., 1907, с.12
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  19. ^ Ministère des affaires étrangères, op. cit., no. 212. M. P. Cambon, Ambassadeur de la Republique française à Constantinople, ŕ M. Hanotaux, Ministre des affaires étrangères, p. 239; et no. 215 p. 240.
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  26. ^ a b Template:Hy icon Kurdoghlian, Mihran (1996). Hayots Badmoutioun (Armenian History). Hradaragutiun Azkayin Oosoomnagan Khorhoortee, Athens Greece. pp. p. 52-53. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  27. ^ a b c d Berberian, Houri (2001). Armenians and the Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1911. Westview Press. pp. p. 116-117. ISBN 0813338174. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help) Cite error: The named reference "Early Dashnaktsutiun role in Iranian Constitutional Revolution" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  28. ^ a b c Berberian, Houri (2001). Armenians and the Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1911. Westview Press. pp. p. 132-134. ISBN 0813338174. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
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  39. ^ Hovannisian, Richard G. (1997). The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. p. 416. ISBN 0312101686. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
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  44. ^ "Tashnag party boycotts". Retrieved 2006-12-30.
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  64. ^ Melkonian, Monte (1990). The Right to Struggle: Selected Writings of Monte Melkonian on the Armenian National Question. San Fransisco, Sardarabad Collective. pp. p. 55 to 57. ISBN 0-9641569-1-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
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  68. ^ Winter, Jay Murray (2004). America and the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Cambridge University Press. pp. p. 240-241. ISBN 0521829585. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); line feed character in |publisher= at position 21 (help)

External links

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