was founded in Baku in October 1903 by a group of Armenians who had become Marxists during studies in Germany and Switzerland, as well as a few ex-Dashnaks, ex-Hunchak intellectuals and others.
[3][4][5] The group was, in particular, dissatisfied with the outcome of the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party.
sought to establish trade unions among Armenian workers along similar lines as the General Jewish Labour Bund.
argued with the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks to allow autonomous ethnic organizations within the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party.
distributed its propaganda in and around Baku (mobilizing workers in Balakhani, Bibi-Eybat and Black Town) as well as in Batumi, Tiflis, and in the country-side of Karabakh.
favoured a system of broad local government and national-cultural autonomy within Russia.
[1] In 1904, its main organ was Sotsiyalist ('Socialist') issued from Baku, which later relocated to Geneva and continued publishing there 1905-1906.
received fierce criticisms from the other social democratic factions in the Caucasus, both the Bolsheviks (Stalin and Stepan Shaumian) and Mensheviks (Arshak Zurabov [ru] and Noe Zhordania).
held prominent positions in the government of the Armenian SSR, such as Alexander Miasnikian and Ashot Hovhannisian․[11]