Social Democrat Hunchakian Party

Social Democrat Hunchakian Party

Leader	Hagop Dikranian
Founders	Avetis Nazarbekian, Mariam Vardanian, Gevorg Gharadjian, Ruben Khan-Azat, Christopher Ohanian, Gabriel Kafian and Manuel Manuelian
Founded	1887
Headquarters	Yerevan, Armenia
Newspaper	see Party Publications / Organs
Youth wing	Gaidz Youth Organization
Membership	4,300 (in Armenia)^[1]
Ideology	Social democracy Democratic socialism
Political position	Centre-left to Left-wing
National affiliation	March 14 alliance
International affiliation	None, formerly Second International
Parliament of Lebanon	2 / 128
Website
http://www.hunchak.org
Politics of Armenia Political parties Elections Politics of Lebanon Political parties Elections

History of Armenia

Etymology Timeline Traditional Urheimat
Prehistory Stone & Copper Age Shulaveri-Shomu culture c.6500–3400 BCE Areni-1 Cave Complex Kura–Araxes culture c.3400–2000 BCE Legend of Hayk (?) 2492 BCE Bronze & Iron Age Hayasa-Azzi c.1500–1290 BCE Arme-Shupria c.1300s–1190 BCE Ararat/Urartu Nairi Tribes 1114–860 BCE Kingdom of Van 860–590 BCE Scythian & Mede Invasions 6th Century BCE
Antiquity Achaemenid Period Satrapy of Armina 549–331 BCE Orontid Dynasty Ancient Armenia Kingdom of Armenia 321 BCE–428 CE Artaxiad dynasty 189 BCE–12 CE Empire 84–34 BCE Arsacid dynasty 52–428 CE Roman–Parthian War 58–63 CE Roman Province of Armenia 114–118 CE Christianization 301 CE Armenia Minor 331–72 BCE Kingdom of Sophene c.200–94 BCE Kingdom of Commagene 163 BCE–72 CE Marzpanate period Byzantine Armenia 387–536 Persian Armenia 428–646 Mamikonian dynasty Battle of Avarayr 451
Middle Ages Arabic Period Emirate of Armenia 653–884 Hamamshen 700s–1300s Amatuni Dynasty Medieval Armenia Bagratid Armenia 884–1045 Bagratid dynasty 861–1118 Kingdom of Vaspurakan 908–1021 Artsruni dynasty Sajid dynasty 889–929 Sallarid dynasty 919–1062 Kingdom of Tashir-Dzoraget 979–1118 Kingdom of Artsakh 1000–1261 House of Hasan-Jalalyan Battle of Manzikert 1071 Cilician & Turco-Mongol Period Seljuq rule 1071–1201 Georgian union 1201–1236 Ilkhanid rule 1236–1335 Principality of Khachen 1261–1750 Turkmen rule 1335–1508 Kingdom of Cilicia 1198–1375 Rubenid dynasty 1000–1261 Hethumid dynasty 1226–1373 Lusignan dynasty 1341–1375
Early modern age Perso-Ottoman Period Safavid & Qajar rule 1502–1828 Five Melikdoms Nakhichevan deportation 1606 Ceding of Eastern Armenia 1828 Ottoman rule 1548–1915 Six Vilayets 1878 Hamidian massacres 1895–1896 Armenian Genocide 1909–1918 Russian period Russian rule 1828–1918 Armenian Oblast 1828–1840 Western Armenia 1915–1918 National Liberation Movement Armenakan 1885 S.D. Hunchakian Party 1887 ARF (Dashnaktsutyun) 1890 Caucasus Campaign 1914–1918 Battle of Sardarapat 1918 Battle of Karakilisa 1918 Modern Armenia First Republic of Armenia 1918–1920 Treaty of Batum 1918 War with Azerbaijan 1918–1920 War with Georgia 1918 Wilsonian Armenia 1920 Turkish-Soviet Invasion 1920
Modern age Soviet Period Armenian S.S.R. 1920–1991 February Uprising 1921 Republic of Mountainous Armenia 1921 Treaty of Moscow 1921 Treaty of Kars 1921 Territorial claims against Turkey 1945–1953 Independence Armenian diaspora Hidden Armenians Republic of Armenia since 1991 Nagorno-Karabakh Republic since 1994 Nagorno-Karabakh War 1989–1994
Armenia portal

The Social Democrat Hunchakian Party (SDHP) (Armenian: Սոցիալ Դեմոկրատ Հնչակյան Կուսակցություն; ՍԴՀԿ), is the second oldest Armenian political party, founded in 1887 by a group of college students in Geneva, Switzerland. It was the first socialist party to operate in the Ottoman Empire and in Persia.^[2] Among its founders were Avetis Nazarbekian, Mariam Vardanian, Gevorg Gharadjian, Ruben Khan-Azat, Christophor Ohanian, Gabriel Kafian and Manuel Manuelian. It original goal was attaining Armenia's independence from the Ottoman Empire during the Armenian national liberation movement.^[3]

The party is also known as Hentchak, Henchak, Social-Democratic Hentchaks, Huntchakians, Hnchakian, Henchags, its name is taken from its newspaper Hunchak, meaning "Clarion" or "Bell", and is taken by party members to represent "a call or awakening, for enlightenment and freedom."

History

All seven founders of the party were Russian Armenian Marxist students who had left Russian Armenia to further their education in various universities of Western Europe. They were young, in their twenties, and supported by their affluent bourgeois families. They were influenced by social-democratic revolutionary ideology, contacted Frederick Engels, Georgi Plekhanov and later Vladimir Lenin. Mariam Vardanian had worked with Russian revolutionaries in Saint Petersburg. For the purpose of furthering revolutionary activity in Turkish Armenia, they formed the Hunchakian Revolutionary Party in August, 1887. The party's manifesto, printed in the first issue of Hunchak journal, contained this slogan: "Those who cannot attain freedom through revolutionary armed struggle are unworthy of it".^[4]

Hunchakian Ardziv fedayi group

Hunchak party fought many battles against the Ottoman Empire, to free the Armenian people from Turkish rule. During this period, many famous intellectuals joined Hunchakian party, including Hovhannes Tumanian, Ghazaros Aghayan, Smpad Piurad, Atrpet and Aram Andonian. One of Armenia's famous national heroes Andranik Ozanian, at first, joined the Hunchak party,^[5] but disagreement with party policies led Andranik to leave the Hunchak ranks and join the Dashnak party^[6] and on to the Armenian Democratic Liberal Ramgavar Party.

While Dashnaktsutyun sought “reforms within the framework of Ottoman Empire”, the Hunchakian party favored an independent Armenian state.^[7] Hunchak was the official organ of Hunchakians. In 1894 in Athens and London the party published a socialist scientific monthly, Gaghapar, which for the first time published "The Communist Manifesto" in Armenian, translated by Avetis and Mariam Nazarbekians. The First General Conference of Hunchakian party took place in London, in September 1896.

In the Caucasus the Hunchakian party has also played a prominent role, it combated the russification policy of Viceroy Galitzin, the Russian governor of Caucasus. In 1903 Paramaz organized the assassination attempt of Golitsin. Paramaz was also one of the organizers of self-defence troops during the Armenian-Tatar massacres of 1905-06.

Activities in the Ottoman Empire

On July 27, 1890, Hunchakian activists Harutiun Jangülian, Mihran Damadian and Hambartsum Boyajian headed Kum Kapu Affray in Constantinople, which demanded the implementation of reforms in the Western Armenian provinces. In the early 1890s frequent clashes between the Armenian inhabitants of Sason and the Turkish forces took place because of Sassontsis' refusal to pay retroactive taxes to the Turkish government.

Hunchakian leaders hanged during the Armenian Genocide

In 1894, Sasun Resistance was organized by the Hunchak party under the leadership of Mihran Damadian, Hambartsum Boyajian, Kevork Chavush and Hrayr Dzhoghk.

In 1913 Hunchakian leader Paramaz participated in the 7th Conference of the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party in Constanţa, where he represented the idea of assassination of Ittihad leaders. But on June 15, 1915 Paramaz with 19 other his comrades were hanged in the central square of Constantinople.

Defense of Van: (June, 1896)
Khanasor Expedition: (July 25, 1897)
Zeitun Resistance: (August 30, 1914 - December 1, 1914 and March 25, 1915)
Siege of Van: (April 19, 1915 - May 6, 1915)
Shabin-Karahisar uprising: (June 2, 1915 - June 30, 1915)

First Republic of Armenia

The party also played a role in the establishment of the First Republic of Armenia, as party members took part in the Battle of Sardarapat in 1918, which defended the Armenian capital Yerevan from the Army of Islam of the Ottoman Empire.

Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic

After the takeover of the Armenian communists of power in Armenia in 1921 and dissolving of the Democratic Republic of Armenia, and the declaration of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, all political parties apart from the Armenian Communist Party were forbidden. Thus the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party, alongside all the other Armenian traditional political parties effectively became a party of the Armenian diaspora only.

But the party remained in general a supporter of the development of the Armenian SSR for many decades, in sharp contrast to the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) that remained opposed to the Communist regime in Armenia. This resulted at many times in feuds and rift between the Hunchaks and the Dashnaks in many centers of the Armenian diaspora, a situation becoming worse with religious differences, with the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party supporting Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the ARF supporting the Holy See of Cilicia. In these conflicts, the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party was seen as a political ally on the side of the SDHP and in opposition to the ARF.

Activities in Lebanon

In the 1950s, it clashed, sometimes violently, with the Dashnak Party, due to tensions that escalated when the ARF elected Bishop Zareh as Zareh I, Catholicos of Cilicia, a move that was rejected by the Hunchaks. This period was characterized by an escalation of conflict between the ARF on one side, and the SDHP and the ally ADL (Ramgavars) on the other side.

In the midst of increasing sectarian strife in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which led to the Lebanese Civil War, however, Lebanon's Armenian community began to close ranks, and in 1972, the Hunchakian Party ran a joint ticket with the Dashnaks. In 2000, the Hunchakian Party joined forces with Rafik Hariri's Future Movement, which swept the city of Beirut. SDHP Central Committee Member Dr Yeghia Jerejian was a member of Lebanese Parliament for many years. Currently the party is represented in the parliament by Sebouh Kalpakian.

Modern

In 1991 Yeghia Najarian headed SDHP organization in independent Armenia and founded "Hnchak Hayastani" official organ. In the early 1990s, the party took part in the self-defense of Zangezur (Paramaz battalion) and Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (Jirair-Mourad battalion led by Gevorg Guzelian). The party formed part of the Armenian opposition and had a representative at the National Assembly of Armenia.

The party is also active in the Armenian diaspora and in Lebanon as well, where it competes for the six National Assembly seats reserved for ethnic Armenians. The party subscribes to a socialist ideology and advocates a planned economy for Lebanon. Social Democrat Hunchakian Party has an official newspaper in Lebanon which is the Ararad daily newspaper.

Party's 20th General Conference took place in September 2013, in Yerevan and Tsakhkadzor, with the participation of delegates from 17 countries.^[8]

Affiliate organizations

The Hunchakian party has established affiliate organizations such as the AGBU which is an organization that helps with educational, health and social care, the Armenian Dkhrouhi Youth Association (founded in 1952, in Beirut), the Gaidz Youth Organization (founded in 1910, in Constantinople), Nor Serount Cultural Association (founded in 1954, in Beirut), and HMM (Homenmen) which is an independent sporting organization but strongly affiliated with the SDHP (not to be confused with Homenetmen considered largely affiliated with the ARF).

Party publications

Hunchak journal

Hunchak (also Hnchak, Hentchak, "Bell" in Armenian) was the official organ of the party. It was founded by Avetis Nazarbekian and published in 1887-1915, 1935–1940, in France, Greece, Britain and USA. The main purpose of the paper was the propagand of the Armenian national movement for the liberation, the resistance in Western Armenian regions. Hunchak also supported the ideology of social-democracy and worker's consolidation.

Present-day party publications include:

Ararad daily newspaper published in Beirut, Lebanon
Tchahagir weekly published in Cairo, Egypt
Massis Weekly and MassisPost.com published in Los Angeles
Nor Serounti Tsayn (Voice of Nor Serount) published in London, UK
Zank Armenian Journal, Australia

Prominent members

References

↑ (Armenian) Յուրաքանչյուր երկրորդ չափահաս հայաստանցին կուսակցակա՞ն
↑ Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
↑ Lebanon a Country Study By Federal Research Division - Page 185
↑ Chalabian, Antranig. General Andranik and the Armenian Revolutionary Movement. Southfield, Michigan: Antranig Chalabian, 1988. ISBN 0-9622741-1-9, p. 58
↑ Andranikological Review, Yerevan, #1 (3), 2003, p. 7.
↑ http://homepages.cae.wisc.edu/~dwilson/Armenia/andranik.html
↑ The Armenian Genocide in Perspective, by Richard G. Hovannisian, Transaction Publishers, 2009 – p.
↑ Партия Гнчакян считает недостаточным прогресс в деле укрепления демократии Armenia Today, 20.09.2013

External links

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