» Back to Armenian History Timeline home

Armenian Revolutionary Federation Founded (1890 AD)

In the late 1800's, Tiflis was the hub of many small groups advocating reform in the Armenian provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Recognizing the need to consolidate these groups in the interest of greater efficiency, Christapor Mikayelian, Simon Zavarian, and Stepan Zorian (Rosdom) forged a newpolitical party called the Federation of Armenian Revolutionaries in 1890. Since its basic political philosophy was socialist, the Hnchakians at first agreed to participate. However, they soon withdrew, claiming that the new organization was not sufficiently Marxist. In 1892, the party changed its name to the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (known as Dashnaktsutiun) and adopted a platform which advocated a society based on democratic principles; freedom of religion, speech, and assembly; and agrarian reform. Because of the conditions in the Armenian world, the party adopted a decentralized structure. Through its activities over the succeeding years, the ARF became the dominant political force in Armenian life.