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04/08/2010

Albania

I’m spending much of next week in Albania, which is bordered by Greece to the south, Macedonia to the east, and Kosovo and Montenegro to the north. The Adriatic and Ionian Seas are west. So since I don’t know too much about the history, I thought I’d skim some of my reference books for a few facts.

Albania had been under Ottoman rule from 1503-1912 before declaring its independence, which was then recognized in 1913 in London by the European powers. A king was chosen but soon Albania entered World War I, during which the major concern of patriots was to retain independence and the borders agreed upon before the war. But it was invaded and overrun by most of its neighbors during that time.

Dec. 1920. Albania was admitted to the League of Nations.

1925…the National Assembly proclaimed Albania a republic with Ahmet Zogu its first president. He managed to put down a number of uprisings. In 1928, he was proclaimed king, ruling as Zog I from 1928-39. Zog championed the modernization of the country, including the building of Tirana as a modern capital. During the time of his rule, trade relations with Italy, across the Adriatic, grew.

But in April 1939, the Italians took advantage of the confusion caused by Germany’s absorption of Czechoslovakia, with the Italians overrunning it. King Zog and his queen fled to Greece and then Turkey. The Albanian constituent assembly voted personal union with Italy. From April 1939 to Sept. 1943, Albania remained under Italian control. In Aug. 1941, in order to win over the Albanians, Germany and Italy agreed to the incorporation of the Kosovo region of Yugoslavia into Albania.

Nov. 1941. The Albanian Communist Party was formed clandestinely in Tirana under the leadership of Enver Hoxha.

Sept. 1943. The Italians surrendered and German forces occupied Albania.

May 1944. With southern Albania liberated, the National Liberation Front was formed and Hoxha became the supreme commander of the Albanian National Liberation Army. By Nov. ’44, German troops withdrew completely and Hoxha was named the head of a new provisional government dominated by Communists.

By May 1950, Albania had fallen completely under Soviet domination, concluding a treaty of friendship with the USSR.

But by 1961, relations with Moscow deteriorated badly and Albania ended up with closer ties to China.

1964.  Hoxha implemented Albania’s “ideological and cultural revolution,” which aimed to eliminate the influences of religion, excessive family loyalty, and bourgeois economic and social outlooks.

Interestingly, from 1964-70, Albania, while remaining a communist dictatorship ruled by the same people who had emerged in 1945, was in total opposition to Soviet policies and complete devotion to Communist China. China lent Albania economic and technical aid needed for the gradual development of the country. In ’68, Albania formally withdrew from the Warsaw Pact, terminating all official identification with the Soviet bloc.

1973.  Hoxha cracked down on the League of Albanian Writers and Artists and the Union of Albanian Labor Youth, thus stifling Albania’s cultural life for more than a decade.

Dec. 27, 1976. A new constitution was adopted, replacing 1946 version, and the country was renamed the Socialist People’s Republic of Albania. The new document set up equal rights for the sexes, eliminated religious activities, and abolished private enterprises and property ownership.

1978.  China withdrew all aid after a year of receiving criticism for its post-Maoist policies.

April 11, 1985.  Enver Hoxha, leader of Albania since 1944, died and was succeeded by Ramiz Alia.

May 1990.  The People’s Assembly approved a wide range of judicial reforms, which rescinded capital punishment for statements against the government, legalizing religious activities, and giving all Albanians the right to a passport for foreign travel.

June 28 – July 6, 1990. Thousands of Albanians took refuge in foreign embassies in Tirana, fearing renewed repression. After preventing food deliveries to the embassies, the government bowed to international pressure and ordered them evacuated

July 31, 1990.  Albania and the Soviet Union agreed to normalize their relations and reopen their respective embassies.

Dec. 1990. An opposition party was formed, the Democratic Party, the first in 46 years.

1991. Freedom of religion replaces official atheism.

Dec. 1991. Enver Hoxha’s widow, Nexhmije, was arrested to stand trial for corruption.

March-April, 1992. The Democratic Party won the general elections and secured an overall majority in the People’s Assembly.  On April 3, Ramiz Alia resigned as president and Sali Berisha, leader of the Democratic Party, became the new president.

July 1994. Ramiz Alia, the last Communist leader of Albania, was convicted for human rights violations and abuses of power. He was sentenced to nine years in prison.

1997. Pyramid schemes ripped the country apart. [I’ll have more on this in about three weeks as part of my “Wall Street History” column.]

March 24 – June 3, 1999. As many as 465,000 ethnic Albanian refugees from Kosovo flooded into Albania when NATO bombing sparked violence and ethnic cleansing by Serb forces in the region. By the end of the summer, most of the Kosovar refugees had returned to their homeland.

2009. Albania joined NATO.

Nation is 70% Muslim, 20% Albanian Orthodox, 10% Roman Catholic.

I’ll have more in my “Week in Review” column from Tirana, April 17.

Sources: The Encyclopedia of World History, Peter N. Stearns, general editor; Chambers Dictionary of World History; The CIA World Factbook

Hot Spots will return April 29.

Brian Trumbore


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Hot Spots

04/08/2010

Albania

I’m spending much of next week in Albania, which is bordered by Greece to the south, Macedonia to the east, and Kosovo and Montenegro to the north. The Adriatic and Ionian Seas are west. So since I don’t know too much about the history, I thought I’d skim some of my reference books for a few facts.

Albania had been under Ottoman rule from 1503-1912 before declaring its independence, which was then recognized in 1913 in London by the European powers. A king was chosen but soon Albania entered World War I, during which the major concern of patriots was to retain independence and the borders agreed upon before the war. But it was invaded and overrun by most of its neighbors during that time.

Dec. 1920. Albania was admitted to the League of Nations.

1925…the National Assembly proclaimed Albania a republic with Ahmet Zogu its first president. He managed to put down a number of uprisings. In 1928, he was proclaimed king, ruling as Zog I from 1928-39. Zog championed the modernization of the country, including the building of Tirana as a modern capital. During the time of his rule, trade relations with Italy, across the Adriatic, grew.

But in April 1939, the Italians took advantage of the confusion caused by Germany’s absorption of Czechoslovakia, with the Italians overrunning it. King Zog and his queen fled to Greece and then Turkey. The Albanian constituent assembly voted personal union with Italy. From April 1939 to Sept. 1943, Albania remained under Italian control. In Aug. 1941, in order to win over the Albanians, Germany and Italy agreed to the incorporation of the Kosovo region of Yugoslavia into Albania.

Nov. 1941. The Albanian Communist Party was formed clandestinely in Tirana under the leadership of Enver Hoxha.

Sept. 1943. The Italians surrendered and German forces occupied Albania.

May 1944. With southern Albania liberated, the National Liberation Front was formed and Hoxha became the supreme commander of the Albanian National Liberation Army. By Nov. ’44, German troops withdrew completely and Hoxha was named the head of a new provisional government dominated by Communists.

By May 1950, Albania had fallen completely under Soviet domination, concluding a treaty of friendship with the USSR.

But by 1961, relations with Moscow deteriorated badly and Albania ended up with closer ties to China.

1964.  Hoxha implemented Albania’s “ideological and cultural revolution,” which aimed to eliminate the influences of religion, excessive family loyalty, and bourgeois economic and social outlooks.

Interestingly, from 1964-70, Albania, while remaining a communist dictatorship ruled by the same people who had emerged in 1945, was in total opposition to Soviet policies and complete devotion to Communist China. China lent Albania economic and technical aid needed for the gradual development of the country. In ’68, Albania formally withdrew from the Warsaw Pact, terminating all official identification with the Soviet bloc.

1973.  Hoxha cracked down on the League of Albanian Writers and Artists and the Union of Albanian Labor Youth, thus stifling Albania’s cultural life for more than a decade.

Dec. 27, 1976. A new constitution was adopted, replacing 1946 version, and the country was renamed the Socialist People’s Republic of Albania. The new document set up equal rights for the sexes, eliminated religious activities, and abolished private enterprises and property ownership.

1978.  China withdrew all aid after a year of receiving criticism for its post-Maoist policies.

April 11, 1985.  Enver Hoxha, leader of Albania since 1944, died and was succeeded by Ramiz Alia.

May 1990.  The People’s Assembly approved a wide range of judicial reforms, which rescinded capital punishment for statements against the government, legalizing religious activities, and giving all Albanians the right to a passport for foreign travel.

June 28 – July 6, 1990. Thousands of Albanians took refuge in foreign embassies in Tirana, fearing renewed repression. After preventing food deliveries to the embassies, the government bowed to international pressure and ordered them evacuated

July 31, 1990.  Albania and the Soviet Union agreed to normalize their relations and reopen their respective embassies.

Dec. 1990. An opposition party was formed, the Democratic Party, the first in 46 years.

1991. Freedom of religion replaces official atheism.

Dec. 1991. Enver Hoxha’s widow, Nexhmije, was arrested to stand trial for corruption.

March-April, 1992. The Democratic Party won the general elections and secured an overall majority in the People’s Assembly.  On April 3, Ramiz Alia resigned as president and Sali Berisha, leader of the Democratic Party, became the new president.

July 1994. Ramiz Alia, the last Communist leader of Albania, was convicted for human rights violations and abuses of power. He was sentenced to nine years in prison.

1997. Pyramid schemes ripped the country apart. [I’ll have more on this in about three weeks as part of my “Wall Street History” column.]

March 24 – June 3, 1999. As many as 465,000 ethnic Albanian refugees from Kosovo flooded into Albania when NATO bombing sparked violence and ethnic cleansing by Serb forces in the region. By the end of the summer, most of the Kosovar refugees had returned to their homeland.

2009. Albania joined NATO.

Nation is 70% Muslim, 20% Albanian Orthodox, 10% Roman Catholic.

I’ll have more in my “Week in Review” column from Tirana, April 17.

Sources: The Encyclopedia of World History, Peter N. Stearns, general editor; Chambers Dictionary of World History; The CIA World Factbook

Hot Spots will return April 29.

Brian Trumbore