Social Democrat Hunchakian Party

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The Social Democrat Hunchakian Party, also known as the Hentchak, is one of the oldest political parties in Armenia. It was founded in 1887 by Avetis Nazarbekian, Mariam Vardanian, Gevorg Gharadjian, Ruben Khan-Azat, Christopher Ohanian, Gabriel Kafian and Manuel Manuelian, a group of college students in Geneva, Switzerland, with the goal to gain Armenia's independence from the Ottoman Empire. Its name, taken from its newspaper Hunchak, means "Bell" in English, and is taken by party members to represent "awakening, enlightenment, and freedom."

[edit] History

The party also played role in establishment of Democratic Republic of Armenia, as party members took part in the Battle of Sardarapat, during the World War I at Caucasus Campaign, which defended the Armenian capital of Yerevan from Army of Islam of Ottoman Empire.

In the 1950s, it clashed, sometimes violently, with the Tashnak Party, which it saw as a right-wing party (unlike the international movement, which is committed to socialism, the Lebanese branch of the Tashnak is pro-capitalist). In the midst of increasing sectarian strife in the late 1960s and early 1970s, however, Lebanon's Armenian community began to close ranks, and in 1972, the Hunchakian Party ran a joint ticket with the Tashnaks. In 2000, the Hunchakian Party joined forces with Rafik Hariri's Dignity List, which swept the city of Beirut.

[edit] Modern

In the early 1990s, the party took part in the fight to separate Nagorno Karabakh from Azerbaijan. The party today forms part of the opposition "Justice" bloc.

This party is also active in Lebanon, 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.