Albania

The Albanian Communist party was not created until Nov. 1941. Enver Hoxha was elected general secretary. The Communists soon began a resistance movement. The Allies in Italy supplied them with materials.

In 1943, a German defeat was imminent and the Communists attacked the nationalists. A bloody civil war for control of the country ended when the nationalists were defeated. In Oct. 1944 a provisional government with Hoxha as its leader was established. Within a month the Communists controlled the entire country.

On Man. 11, 1946 the government officially proclaimed itself the People's Republic of Albania. In March a new constitution and government were formed. Hoxha was named Prime Minister. Massive purges, property confiscation, nationalization of industry and collectivization of agriculture began.

In the 1940s Albania's relations with Greece and the West were strained. Close relations with Yugoslavia included a plan for Albania to become part of Yugoslavia. After the USSR and Yugoslavia severed relations in 1948, Albania sided with the Soviet Union and consequently received massive assistance, not only from the USSR but from other Communist nations. In 1949 Albania joined the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Comecon). In 1955 Albania joined the Warsaw Pact.

In 1954 Hoxha resigned as premier but retained control through his position as head of the Albanian Communist party. Mehmet Shehu became premier.

After Stalin's death in 1953, Albania refused to follow the USSR's programs for de-Stalinization, peaceful coexistence with the West, and reconciliation with Yugoslavia. Instead, Albania moved toward an alliance with China. The Soviet Union and its allies reacted by cutting off all aassistance. In Dec. 1961 the Soviet Union broke off all relations with Albania. The Chinese immediately sent advisors to Albania to replace the Soviets and help them with their economic development.

In Dec. 1981 the Albanian government announced that premier Shehu had committed suicide. However, he was later denounced as a foreign agent and his political allies were purged. Adil Carcani was named premier in Jan. 1982, and in November Ramiz Alia replaced Haxhi Lleshi as president. Hoxha died in April 1985 and Alia assumed leadership of the country. Other Eastern European countries began to liberalize in the 1980s, and Albania followed the trend. It resumed diplomatic relations with the U.S. In March 1991. The Communist party changed its name to the Socialist Party at Albania but was defeated in parliamentary elections in March 1992. In April, Alia resigned and Parliament elected Sali Berisha as Albania's first non-communist president since World War II. Ali and other communist leaders were later convicted on corruption charged. In Dec. 1994 voters rejected a constitution presented by Berisha.

In the beginning of 1997, the collapse of pyramid schemes that had been supported by the government failed and massive nationwide riots and protests resulted. Citizens called for Berisha to resign but he has managed to maintain his leadership.