Social Democrat Party (Ottoman Empire)

The Social Democrat Party (Ottoman Turkish: Sosyal Demokrat Fırkası) was a short-lived social democratic political party in the Ottoman Empire, founded in the aftermath of the First World War.[1][2][3] Notable members included Mehmet Esat Işık, Ata Atalay, Osman Nuri Eralp, Samipaşazade Sezai, Hamdi Bey, Yorgaki Efendi, Ubeydullah Bey, and Besim Ömer Akalın.

Social Democrat Party
Sosyal Demokrat Fırkası
LeaderHasan Rıza
General SecretaryYorgaki Habib
Last LeaderMehmet Atıf Tüzün
FoundedDecember 1918, 22 (22-12-1918)
Dissolved1919 (1919)
Headquarters104 Kebir St. Şişli, Istanbul
IdeologyFourteen Points
Ottomanism
Social democracy
Representative democracy
Political positionLeft-wing

It was a member of the Second International. It sent a representative to the Sultanate Council, a faux-parliament organized by Mehmed VI and Damat Ferid Pasha in between the dissolution of the 5th parliament in 1918 and the 1919 general election. The party failed to win representation in the 1919 election.[3]

Vehbi Bey, one of the founders

References edit

  1. ^ https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/9702 [bare URL PDF]
  2. ^ http://www.yildirimkoc.com.tr/usrfile/1500651143b.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  3. ^ a b Ünal, Yenal (15 July 2020). "A Controbution to Turkish History of Democracy Studies: Evolution of the Social Democracy Party and Its Program". Selçuk Üniversitesi Türkiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi – via www.academia.edu.