Democrat Party
LeaderSoleiman Eskandari[1]
Parliamentary leaderHassan Taqizadeh[2]
Executive secretaryHaydar Khan Amo-oghli[3]
Founded1909
Dissolved1919 or 1921[4]
Preceded bySocial Democratic Party
HeadquartersTehran, Persia[2]
Newspaper
Ideology

The Democrat Party (Persian: فرقه دموکرات) was a social democrat political party in Qajari Persia, during the constitutional period. It was one of two major parliamentary parties at the time, along with the Moderate Socialists Party.[2] It was largely composed of middle-class intellectuals and stood for the separation of church and state.[3]

History

Initially an offshoot of the Transcaucasia-based Social Democratic Party, it severed direct ties with Baku and dropped "Social" from the name in deference to the conservative public. Its ideology, however, remained heavily borrowed from the old party.[3]

In 1918, the party split definitively into the Pro-Reorganization Democrats (Persian: دموکرات‌های تشکیلی, romanized: Demokrāthā-ye taškīlī) led by Bahar; and the Anti-Reorganization Democrats (Persian: دموکرات‌های ضدتشکیلی, romanized: Demokrāthā-ye żedd-e taškīlī).[2]

Parliament election results

Election Seats Quota[5]
Count[5] ± % ±
1906
21 / 156
 — 13.46 — Minority
as Social Democratic Party
1909
28 / 126
 Increase 7 22.22 Increase 8.76 Minority
1914
51 / 115
 Increase 23 44.34 Increase 22.12 Majority party
Including 20 in coalition

References

  1. ^ Afary, Janet (1996). The Iranian Constitutional Revolution, 1906–1911: Grassroots Democracy, Social Democracy, and the Origins of Feminism. Columbia University Press. pp. 70. ISBN 0-231-10350-6.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ettehadieh, Mansoureh (October 28, 2011) [December 15, 1992]. "CONSTITUTIONAL REVOLUTION v. Political parties of the constitutional period". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica. Fasc. 2. Vol. VI. New York City: Bibliotheca Persica Press. pp. 199–202. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Abrahamian, Ervand (1982). Iran Between Two Revolutions. Princeton University Press. pp. 103–105. ISBN 0-691-10134-5.
  4. ^ Abrahamian, Ervand (1982). Iran Between Two Revolutions. Princeton University Press. p. 553. ISBN 0-691-10134-5.
  5. ^ a b آشنایی با تاریخ مجالس قانونگذاری در ایران دوره اول تا دوره شانزدهم [History of Legislatures in Iran (1285–1328)] (in Persian). Majlis Research Center. 2005 [1384]. pp. 19–20, 46–47, 68. Archived from the original on 2020-12-13. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
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