Armenian Revolutionary Federation

Armenian Revolutionary Federation

ARF logo
Foundation:	1890
Head:	Levon Mkrtchyan

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation ('''ARF''') (Armenian: Hay Heghapokhakan Dashnaktsutiun, Dashnaktsutiun, or Dashnak) is an Armenian socialist party founded in Georgia in 1890 by Christofor Mikaelian, Rostom Zarian, and Simon Zavarian. It is now the major socialist party and the fourth largest party in Armenia. It currently holds 11 of 131 seats in the National Assembly of Armenia. Along with holding seats in the Armenian Parliament, the ARF ranks second (with 9 of 33 seats) in the National Assembly of the de facto Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, a historically Armenian province that was arbitrarily granted to Azerbaijan by Joseph Stalin in the 1920s and occupied by Armenian forces in the 1990s.

History

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation came into being in 1890 through the merging of various factions of Armenian nationalists. The original aim was for an independent Armenia, which was not seen as a positive move by all Armenians. The party began to organise itself in Turkey in the early 1890s and held its first major meeting in Georgia in 1892. At the meeting two bureaus were founded responsible for the East and the West. The Eastern Bureau was responsible for planning and implementing attacks against the Ottoman Empire. Whereas the Western Bureau, which established itself in many European cities, including London, Brussels, Berlin, Leipzig, Geneva, and Rome. During the Armenian Genocide of 1915, ARF members were among the first to be openly persecuted and massacred by the Ottoman Turks because of their leadership roles in the Armenian communities. When the first Republic of Armenia was proclaimed in 1918, the ARF became the ruling party. Even though they had a tight grip on power, the ARF was unable to stop the impending communist invasion from the north, which climaxed with a Soviet takeover in 1920. The ARF was banned, and many of its members dispersed to other parts of the world. The ARF is considered the foremost organization in the Armenian Diaspora, having established numerous Armenian schools, churches, community centres, scouting and athletic groups, relief societies, youth organizations, camps, and other organizations throughout the world. The ARF has always maintained an ideology that emphasizes a Free, Independent, and United Armenia. 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 Sevres. When independence was achieved in 1991, the ARF soon became the second strongest party behind the Pan-Armenian National Movement (PANM), a neo-conservative organization highly influenced by foreign powers. ARF was banned by Levon Ter-Petrossian on 28 December 1994, because it was the only opposition force in the country with enough power to challenge the corruption that had taken hold after Armenian independence. Yerkir, the country's largest daily newspaper was also banned. ARF leaders, editors of the party press, and leaders of several women's, youth, athletic, and cultural organizations were arrested. With the resignation of PANM founder Levon Ter-Petrossian, President Robert Kocharian reinstated ARF. Today, the ARF is one of the three parties in the government coalition. The two other parties are the Republican Party and the Country of Law party. The ARF is a full-member of the Socialist International.

Goals

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation's 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 Sevres as well as the regions of Artzakh, Javakhk, and Nakhichevan.

• International condemnation of the as yet unpunished Genocide committed by Turkey against the Armenians, return of the occupied lands, 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.

Category:Armenian political parties Category:Nagorno Karabakh political parties This article is a collaborative text between Hierarchypedia and Wikipedia.

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