Armenian Revolutionary Federation

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Russian Armenian intellectuals.¹ Its Armenian name is Hay Heghapokhakan Dashnaktsutyun, and its members are called Dashnaks.

Founding

The party began in August 1890 as the Federation of Armenian Revolutionaries, a union of Armenian groups. Tiflis was its working center, where most of its leaders lived, and Trabzon was named its nominal headquarters. Its leading three were Kristapor Mikaelian, Simon Zavarian and Stepan Zorian, who was called Rostom.²¹ The Hnchak Party took part in the first talks, withdrew in the spring of 1891 and left the union, and the party then took the name Armenian Revolutionary Federation.²

The first general meeting, held at Tiflis in the summer of 1892, adopted a program and rules, and the party’s newspaper was Droshak. The program sought political and economic freedom for Armenians under Ottoman rule, and not yet an independent state.² By 1905 the party was the strongest Armenian party, with branches in Persia, the Russian and Ottoman empires, Europe and America.¹ In 1919 its ninth general meeting declared its aim to be a united and independent Armenia, joining Western and Eastern Armenia.²

The Republic and exile

The party dominated the First Republic of Armenia.¹ After the Soviet takeover it became the leading anti-Soviet force among Armenians and was expelled from Soviet Armenia after 1921. When the uprisings against Soviet rule were put down in 1921, about 10,000 of its leaders, fighters and their families crossed into Persia.¹

The diaspora

The party became one of the largest Armenian parties abroad. From 1956 it supported the see of Cilicia, the Catholicosate of Cilicia, while the other parties supported Etchmiadzin.¹ The Armenian Democratic Liberal Party is the party that has defended Etchmiadzin.³