Albania

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Este artículo es sobre el país. Para otros usos, consulte Albania (desambiguación) .

República de albania

Republika e Shqipërisë   ( albanés )

Bandera

Escudo de armas

Lema:  Ti Shqipëri, më jep nder,

më jep emrin Shqipëtar
Tú, Albania, dame honor,
dame el nombre albanés

Himno:  Himni i Flamurit
( "Himno a la bandera" )

MENÚ

0:00
 Capital Tirana
41 ° 19′N 19 ° 49′E
y ciudad más grande

Lenguajes oficiales albanés

Lenguas minoritarias  griego

reconocidas  Aromanian
 macedónio
 otros

Demonym (s) albanés

Gobierno República
constitucional parlamentaria unitaria

•  presidente Ilir Meta

•  Primer Ministro Edi Rama

•  Portavoz del Parlamento Gramoz Ruçi

Legislatura Kuvendi

Historia del establecimiento

•  Principado del Líbano 1190

•  Reino de Albania Febrero 1272

•  Principado de Albania 1368

•  Liga de Lezhë 2 de marzo de 1444

•  Principado de Mirdita 1515

•  Pashalik de 1757/1787
Scutari / Janina
• Proclamación de la 28 de noviembre de 1912
independencia
de la Imperio Otomano

•  Principado de Albania 29 de julio de 1913

•  Primera República de 31 de enero de 1925

Albania

•  Reino de Albania 1 de septiembre de 1928

•  Segunda República de 11 de enero de 1946

Albania

•  Tercera República de 28 de diciembre de 1976

Albania

• Constitución actual de 29 de abril de 1991

la IV República de
Albania 28 de noviembre de 1998

Zona

• Total 28,748 km 2 (11,100 millas cuadradas)

( 140 ° )

• Agua (%) 4,7

Población

• Estimación de enero de 2.845.955 [1]

2020

• censo de 2011 2.821.977 [2]

• Densidad 98 / km 2 (253,8 / millas cuadradas)

( 63º )

PIB  ( PPA ) Estimación 2020

• Total $ 42.594 mil millones [3]

• Per cápita $ 14,866 [3]

PIB  (nominal) Estimación 2020

• Total $ 16,753 mil millones [3]

• Per cápita $ 5,847 [3]

Gini  (2017)  33,2 [4]
 medio

HDI (2019)  0.795[5]
high · 69th

Currency Lek (ALL)

Time zone UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)

Date format dd/mm/yyyy

Driving side right

Calling code +355

ISO 3166 code AL

Internet TLD .al

Albania ( / æ l b eɪ n i Ə , ɔː l - / ( escuchar )   a (w) L-  BAY  -nee-

ə ; Albania : Shqipëri o Shqipëria ), [a] oficialmente la República de
Albania ( albanés : República e Shqipërisë ), [b] es un país del sureste de
Europa . Está en el Mar Adriático y Jónico dentro del Mar Mediterráneo.y
comparte fronteras terrestres con Montenegro al noroeste, Kosovo   al [c]

noreste, Macedonia del Norte al este, Grecia al sur; y fronteras marítimas con

Grecia, Montenegro e Italia al oeste. Tirana es su capital y ciudad más grande,
seguida de Durrës , Vlorë y Shkodër .
Geográficamente , Albania presenta variadas condiciones climáticas,
geológicas, hidrológicas y morfológicas, definidas en un área de 28,748
km 2 (11,100 millas cuadradas). Posee una diversidad significativa con un
paisaje que va desde las montañas cubiertas de nieve en los Alpes albaneses ,
así como las montañas Korab , Skanderbeg , Pindus y Ceraunian hasta las
cálidas y soleadas costas del Adriático de Albania y el Mar Jónico a lo largo
del Mar Mediterráneo .
Históricamente , Albania ha estado habitada por diferentes civilizaciones a lo
largo del tiempo, como
los ilirios , tracios , griegos , romanos , bizantinos , venecianos y otomanos . Lo
s albaneses establecieron el Principado autónomo de Arbër en el siglo
XII. El Reino de Albania y el Principado de Albania se formaron entre los siglos
XIII y XIV. Antes de la conquista otomana de Albania en el siglo XV,
la resistencia albanesa a la expansión otomana en Europa liderada porGjergj
Kastrioti Skanderbeg les ganó elogios en la mayor parte de Europa. Entre los
siglos XVIII y XIX, los desarrollos culturales, ampliamente atribuidos a que los
albaneses habían reunido fuerza espiritual e intelectual, llevaron de manera
concluyente al Renacimiento albanés . Después de la derrota de los otomanos
en las guerras de los Balcanes , el moderno estado nacional de Albania declaró
su independencia en 1912. [7] En el siglo XX, el Reino de Albania fue invadido
por Italia, que formó la Gran Albania antes de convertirse en
un protectorado de la Alemania nazi . [8] Enver Hoxhaformó la República
Popular Socialista de Albania después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial ,
modelada bajo los términos del hoxhaísmo . Las revoluciones de
1991 concluyeron la caída del comunismo en Albania y, finalmente, el
establecimiento de la actual República de Albania.
Políticamente , Albania es una república constitucional parlamentaria unitaria y
un país en desarrollo con una economía de ingresos medianos altos dominada
por el sector de servicios, seguido por la manufactura. [9] Pasó por un proceso
de transición tras el fin del comunismo en 1990, de la planificación
centralizada a una economía de mercado . [10] [11] [12] Albania ofrece atención
médica universal y educación primaria y secundaria gratuita a sus
ciudadanos. [5] Albania es miembro de las Naciones Unidas, Banco
Mundial , UNESCO , OTAN , OMC , COE , OSCE y OIC . Es un candidato
oficial a la membresía en la Unión Europea . [13] Es uno de los miembros
fundadores de la Comunidad de la Energía , incluida la Organización de
Cooperación Económica del Mar Negro y la Unión por el Mediterráneo .

Contenido

 1Etimología

 2Historia

o 2.1Prehistoria

o 2.2Antigüedad

o 2.3Edades medias

o 2.4Rilindja

o 2.5Primera república

o 2.6Comunismo

o 2,7Cuarta República

o 2.8Contemporáneo

 3Geografía

o 3.1Clima

o 3.2La biodiversidad

o 3.3Áreas protegidas
 4Gobernancia

o 4.1Relaciones Extranjeras

o 4.2Militar

o 4.3divisiones administrativas

 5Economía

o 5.1Sector primario

o 5.2Sector secundario

o 5.3Sector terciario

o 5.4Transporte

 6Infraestructura

o 6.1Educación

o 6.2Salud

o 6.3Energía

o 6.4Tecnología

 7Demografía

o 7.1Minorías

o 7.2Idioma

o 7.3Religión

 8Cultura

o 8.1Simbolos

o 8.2Letras

o 8.3Cocina

o 8.4Medios de comunicación

o 8.5Música

o 8,6Ropa tradicional

o 8.7Literatura

o 8.8Deportes
 o 8,9Diáspora

 9Ver también

 10Notas

 11Referencias

 12Otras lecturas

 13enlaces externos

Etimología
Artículo principal: Etimología de Albania

The term Albania is the medieval Latin name of the country. It may be derived

from the Illyrian tribe of Albani (Albanian: Albanët) recorded by Ptolemy, the
geographer and astronomer from Alexandria, who drafted a map in 150 AD
which shows the city of Albanopolis located northeast of Durrës.[14][15] The term
may have a continuation in the name of a medieval settlement
called Albanon or Arbanon, although it is not certain that this was the same
place.[16] In his history written in the 10th century, the Byzantine historian Michael
Attaliates was the first to refer to Albanoi as having taken part in a revolt
against Constantinople in 1043 and to the Arbanitai as subjects of the Duke
of Dyrrachium.[17] During the Middle Ages, the Albanians called their
country Arbëri or Arbëni and referred to themselves as Arbëreshë or
Arbëneshë.[18][19]
Nowadays, Albanians call their country Shqipëri or Shqipëria. The
words Shqipëri and Shqiptar are attested from 14th century onward,[20] but it was
only at the end of 17th and beginning of the early 18th centuries that the
placename Shqipëria and the ethnic demonym Shqiptarë gradually
replaced Arbëria and Arbëreshë amongst Albanian speakers.[20][21] The two terms
are popularly interpreted as "Land of the Eagles" and "Children of the Eagles". [22]
[23]

History
Main article: History of Albania
See also: Timeline of Albanian history

Prehistory
Main article: Prehistory of Albania

The remains of Kamenica Tumulus in the county of Korçë.

The first attested traces of neanderthal presence in the territory of Albania dates
back to the middle and upper Paleolithic period and were discovered
in Xarrë and at Mount Dajt in the adjacent region of Tirana.[24] Archaeological
sites from this period include the Kamenica Tumulus, Konispol Cave
and Pellumbas Cave.
The discovered objects in a cave near Xarrë include flint and jasper objects
along with fossilised animal bones, while those discoveries at Mount Dajt
comprise bone and stone tools similar to those of the Aurignacian culture. They
also demonstrate notable similarities with objects of the equivalent period found
at Crvena Stijena in Montenegro and northwestern Greece.[24]
Multiple artifacts from the Iron and Bronze Ages near tumulus burials have been
unearthed in central and southern Albania, which has similar affinity with the
sites in southwestern Macedonia and Lefkada. Archaeologists have come to the
conclusion that these regions were inhabited from the middle of the third
millennium BC by Indo-European people who spoke a Proto-Greek language.
Hence, a part of this historical population later moved to Mycenae around 1600
BC and properly established the Mycenaean civilisation.[25][26][27]
Antiquity
Main article: Antiquity in Albania

Founded in the 4th century BC, Scodra was a significant city of the Illyrian tribes of

the Ardiaei and Labeates.

In ancient times, the incorporated territory of Albania was historically inhabited

by Indo-European peoples, among them numerous Illyrian tribes, Ancient
Greeks and Thracians. In view of the Illyrian tribes, there is no evidence that
these tribes used any collective nomenclature for themselves, while it is
regarded to be unlikely that they used a common endonym.[28] The
endonym Illyrians seems to be the name applied to a specific Illyrian tribe,
which was the first to come in liaison with the Ancient Greeks resulting in the
endonym Illyrians to be applied pars pro toto to all people of similar language
and customs.[29][30]
Apollonia was an important Ancient Greek colony on the Illyrian coast along the Adriatic Sea and one
of the western points of the Via Egnatia route, that connected Rome and Constantinople.

The territory referred to as Illyria corresponded roughly to the area east of

the Adriatic Sea in the Mediterranean Sea extending in the south to the mouth
of the Vjosë.[31][32] The first account of the Illyrian groups comes from Periplus of
the Euxine Sea, an ancient Greek text written in the middle of the 4th century
BC.[33] The west was inhabited by the Thracian tribe of the Bryges while the
south was inhabited by the Ancient Greek-speaking tribe of the Chaonians,
whose capital was at Phoenice.[33][34][35] Other colonies such
as Apollonia, Epidamnos and Amantia, were established by Ancient Greek city-
states on the coast by the 7th century BC. [33][36][37]
The Illyrian Ardiaei tribe, centered in Montenegro, ruled over most of the
territory of Albania. Their Ardiaean Kingdom reached its greatest extent
under King Agron, the son of Pleuratus II. Agron extended his rule over other
neighboring tribes as well.[38] Following Agron's death in 230 BC, his wife, Teuta,
inherited the Ardiaean kingdom. Teuta's forces extended their operations further
southward to the Ionian Sea.[39] In 229 BC, Rome declared war[40] on the kingdom
for extensively plundering Roman ships. The war ended in Illyrian defeat in
227 BC. Teuta was eventually succeeded by Gentius in 181 BC.[41] Gentius
clashed with the Romans in 168 BC, initiating the Third Illyrian War. The conflict
resulted in Roman conquest of the region by 167 BC. The Romans split the
region into three administrative divisions.[42]
Middle Ages
Main article: Albania in the Middle Ages

The town of Krujë was the capital of the Principality of Arbanon in the Middle Ages.

The Roman Empire was split in 395 upon the death of Theodosius I into

an Eastern and Western Roman Empire in part because of the increasing
pressure from threats during the Barbarian Invasions. From the 6th century into
the 7th century, the Slavs crossed the Danube and largely absorbed the
indigenous Ancient Greeks, Illyrians and Thracians in the Balkans; thus, the
Illyrians were mentioned for the last time in historical records in the 7th century.
[43][44]

In the 11th century, the Great Schism formalised the break of communion

between the Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic Church that is reflected in
Albania through the emergence of a Catholic north and Orthodox south. The
Albanian people inhabited the west of Lake Ochrida and the upper valley
of River Shkumbin and established the Principality of Arbanon in 1190 under
the leadership of Progon of Kruja.[45] The realm was succeeded by his
sons Gjin and Dhimitri.
Upon the death of Dhimiter, the territory came under the rule of the Albanian-
Greek Gregory Kamonas and subsequently under the Golem of Kruja.[46][47][48] In
the 13th century, the principality was dissolved.[49][50][51] Arbanon is considered to
be the first sketch of an Albanian state, that retained a semi-autonomous status
as the western extremity of the Byzantine Empire, under the
Byzantine Doukai of Epirus or Laskarids of Nicaea.[52]
A relief of the Scuola degli Albanesi commemorating the Siege of Shkodra. It
illustrates Sultan Mehmet II laying siege to the Albanian town of Scutari then part of Venetian
Empire.

Hacia finales del siglo XII y principios del XIII,

los serbios y venecianos comenzaron a tomar posesión del
territorio. [53] La etnogénesis de los albaneses es incierta; sin embargo, la
primera mención indiscutible de los albaneses se remonta a los registros
históricos de 1079 o 1080 en una obra de Michael Attaliates , quien se refirió a
los albanoi por haber participado en una revuelta contra Constantinopla . [54] En
este punto, los albaneses estaban completamente cristianizados.
Few years after the dissolution of Arbanon, Charles of Anjou concluded an
agreement with the Albanian rulers, promising to protect them and their ancient
liberties. In 1272, he established the Kingdom of Albania and conquered
regions back from the Despotate of Epirus. The kingdom claimed all of central
Albania territory from Dyrrhachium along the Adriatic Sea coast down to Butrint.
A catholic political structure was a basis for the papal plans of
spreading Catholicism in the Balkan Peninsula. This plan found also the support
of Helen of Anjou, a cousin of Charles of Anjou. Around 30 Catholic churches
and monasteries were built during her rule mainly in northern Albania. [55] Internal
power struggles within the Byzantine Empire in the 14th century enabled Serbs'
most powerful medieval ruler, Stefan Dusan, to establish a short-lived
empire that included all of Albania except Durrës.[53] In 1367, various Albanian
rulers established the Despotate of Arta. During that time, several Albanian
principalities were created, notably the Principality of Albania, Principality of
Kastrioti, Lordship of Berat and Principality of Dukagjini. In the first half of the
15th century, the Ottoman Empire invaded most of Albania, and the League of
Lezhë was held under Skanderbeg as a ruler, who became the national hero of
the Albanian medieval history.
Ottoman Empire
Main article: Albania under the Ottoman Empire
See also: Albanian rebellion against the Ottoman Empire
Further information: League of Lezhë
After serving the Ottoman Empire for nearly 20 years, Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg deserted and
began a rebellion against the empire that halted Ottoman advance into Europe for 25 years.

With the fall of Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire continued an extended

period of conquest and expansion with its borders going deep into Southeast
Europe. They reached the Albanian Ionian Sea Coast in 1385 and erected their
garrisons across Southern Albania in 1415 and then occupied most of Albania
in 1431.[56][57] Thousands of Albanians consequently fled to Western Europe,
particularly to Calabria, Naples, Ragusa and Sicily, whereby others sought
protection at the often inaccessible Mountains of Albania.[58][59]
The Albanians, as Christians, were considered as an inferior class of people,
and as such they were subjected to heavy taxes among others by
the Devshirme system that allowed the Sultan to collect a requisite percentage
of Christian adolescents from their families to compose the Janissary.[60] The
Ottoman conquest was also accompanied with the gradual process
of Islamisation and the rapid construction of mosques which consequently
modified the religious picture of Albania.
A prosperous and longstanding revolution erupted after the formation of
the Assembly of Lezhë until the Siege of Shkodër under the leadership of Gjergj
Kastrioti Skanderbeg, multiple times defeating major Ottoman armies led
by Sultans Murad II and Mehmed II. Skanderbeg managed to gather several of
the Albanian principals, amongst them
the Arianitis, Dukagjinis, Zaharias and Thopias, and establish a centralised
authority over most of the non-conquered territories, becoming the Lord of
Albania.[61]
Skanderbeg consistently pursued the goal relentlessly but rather unsuccessfully
to constitute a European coalition against the Ottomans. He thwarted every
attempt by the Ottomans to regain Albania, which they envisioned as a
springboard for the invasion of Italy and Western Europe. His unequal fight
against them won the esteem of Europe also among others financial and
military aid from the Papacy and Naples, Venice and Ragusa.[62]
Ali Pasha Tepelena was a powerful autonomous Ottoman Albanian ruler who governed over
the Pashalik of Yanina.

When the Ottomans were gaining a firm foothold in the region, Albanian towns
were organised into four principal sanjaks. The government fostered trade by
settling a sizeable Jewish colony of refugees fleeing persecution in Spain. The
city of Vlorë saw passing through its ports imported merchandise from Europe
such as velvets, cotton goods, mohairs, carpets, spices and leather
from Bursa and Constantinople. Some citizens of Vlorë even had business
associates throughout Europe.[63]
The phenomenon of Islamisation among the Albanians became primarily
widespread from the 17th century and continued into the 18th century. [64] Islam
offered them equal opportunities and advancement within the Ottoman Empire.
However, motives for conversion were, according to some scholars, diverse
depending on the context though the lack of source material does not help
when investigating such issues.[64] Because of increasing suppression of
Catholicism, mostly catholic Albanians converted in the 17th century, while
orthodox Albanians followed suit mainly in the following century.
Since the Albanians were seen as strategically important, they made up a
significant proportion of the Ottoman military and bureaucracy. A couple of
Muslim Albanians attained important political and military positions who
culturally contributed to the broader Muslim world.[64] Enjoying this privileged
position, they held various high administrative positions with over two dozen
Albanian Grand Viziers among others members of the prominent Köprülü
family, Zagan Pasha, Muhammad Ali of Egypt and Ali Pasha of
Tepelena however, two sultans such as Bayezid II and Mehmed III had both
mothers of Albanian origin.[63][65][66]
Rilindja
Main article: Albanian Renaissance
See also: League of Prizren
Naum Veqilharxhi was among the most important figures of the early National Renaissance.

The Albanian Renaissance was a period with its roots in the late 18th century
and continuing into the 19th century, during which the Albanian people gathered
spiritual and intellectual strength for an independent cultural and political life
within an independent nation. Modern Albanian culture flourished too,
especially Albanian literature and arts, and was frequently linked to the
influences of the Romanticism and Enlightenment principles.[67]
Prior to the rise of nationalism, Albania was under the rule of the Ottoman
Empire for almost five centuries, and Ottoman authorities suppressed any
expression of national unity or conscience by the Albanian people. Through
literature, Albanians started to make a conscious effort to awaken feelings of
pride and unity among their people that would call to mind the rich history and
hopes for a more decent future.

Dora d'Istria was among the main advocates in Europe for the Albanian cause.[68]

The victory of Russia over the Ottoman Empire following the Russian-Ottoman

Wars resulted the execution of the Treaty of San Stefano which overlooked to
assign Albanian-populated lands to the Slavic and Greek neighbours. However,
the United Kingdom and Austro-Hungarian Empire consequently blocked the
arrangement and caused the Treaty of Berlin. From this point, Albanians started
to organise themselves with the goal to protect and unite the Albanian-
populated lands into a unitary nation, leading to the formation of the League of
Prizren.
The league had initially the assistance of the Ottoman authorities whose
position was based on the religious solidarity of Muslim people and landlords
connected with the Ottoman administration. They favoured and protected the
Muslim solidarity and called for defense of Muslim lands simultaneously
constituting the reason for titling the league Committee of the Real Muslims.[69]
Approximately 300 Muslims participated in the assembly composed by
delegates from Bosnia, the administrator of the Sanjak of Prizren as
representatives of the central authorities and no delegates from Vilayet of
Scutari.[70][check quotation syntax] Signed by only 47 Muslim deputies, the league issued
the Kararname that contained a proclamation that the people from northern
Albania, Epirus and Bosnia and Herzegovina are willing to defend the territorial
integrity of the Ottoman Empire by all possible means against the troops
of Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro.[71]
Ottomans authorities cancelled their assistance when the league, under Abdyl
Frashëri, became focused on working toward Albanian autonomy and
requested merging four vilayets,
including Kosovo, Shkodër, Monastir and Ioannina, into an unified vilayet,
the Albanian Vilayet. The league used military force to prevent the annexing
areas of Plav and Gusinje assigned to Montenegro. After several successful
battles with Montenegrin troops, such as the Battle of Novšiće, the league was
forced to retreat from their contested regions. The league was later defeated by
the Ottoman army sent by the sultan.[72]
Independence
Main article: Independent Albania
See also: Albanian Declaration of Independence

Ismail Qemali is regarded as the founding father of the modern Albanian nation.

Albania declared independence from the Ottoman Empire on 28 November

1912, accompanied with the establishment of the Senate and Government by
the Assembly of Vlorë on 4 December 1912.[73][74][75][76] Its sovereignty was
recognised by the Conference of London. On 29 July 1913, the Treaty of
London delineated the borders of the country and its neighbors, leaving many
Albanians outside Albania,
predominantly partitioned between Montenegro, Serbia and Greece.[77]
Headquartered in Vlorë, the International Commission of Control was
established on 15 October 1913 to take care of the administration of newly
established Albania, until its own political institutions were in order. [78]
[79]
 The International Gendarmerie was established as the first law enforcement
agency of the Principality of Albania. In November, the first gendarmerie
members arrived in the country. Prince of Albania Wilhelm of Wied (Princ
Vilhelm Vidi) was selected as the first prince of the principality.[80] On 7 March, he
arrived in the provisional capital of Durrës and started to organise his
government, appointing Turhan Pasha Përmeti to form the first Albanian
cabinet.
In November 1913, the Albanian pro-Ottoman forces had offered the throne of
Albania to the Ottoman war Minister of Albanian origin, Ahmed Izzet Pasha.
[81]
 The pro-Ottoman peasants believed that the new regime was a tool of the six
Christian Great Powers and local landowners, that owned half of the arable
land.[82]
In February 1914, the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus was proclaimed
in Gjirokastër by the local Greek population against incorporation to Albania.
This initiative was short lived, and in 1921 the southern provinces were
incorporated into the Albanian Principality.[83][84] Meanwhile, the revolt of Albanian
peasants against the new Albanian regime erupted under the leadership of the
group of Muslim clerics gathered around Essad Pasha Toptani, who proclaimed
himself the savior of Albania and Islam.[85][86] In order to gain support of
the Mirdita Catholic volunteers from the northern part of Albania,
Prince Wied appointed their leader, Prênk Bibë Doda, to be the foreign minister
of the Principality of Albania. In May and June 1914, the International
Gendarmerie was joined by Isa Boletini and his men, mostly from Kosovo,[87] and
northern Mirdita Catholics, were defeated by the rebels who captured most of
Central Albania by the end of August 1914.[88] The regime of Prince Wied
collapsed, and he left the country on 3 September 1914. [89]
First Republic
Main article: First Republic of Albania
See also: World War II in Albania
Further information: The Holocaust in Albania and Albanian Righteous Among the
Nations
Zog I was the first and only king of Albania; his reign lasted 11 years (1928–1939).

Following the end of the government of Fan Noli, the parliament adopted a new
constitution and proclaimed the country as a parliamentary republic in which
King Zog I of Albania (Ahmet Muhtar Zogu) served as the head of state for a
seven-year term. Immediately after, Tirana was endorsed officially as the
country's permanent capital.[90]
The politics of Zogu was authoritarian and conservative with the primary aim of
the maintenance of stability and order. He was forced to adopt a policy of
cooperation with Italy where a pact had been signed between both countries,
whereby Italy gained a monopoly on shipping and trade concessions. [91] Italians
exercised control over nearly every Albanian official through money and
patronage.[92] In 1928, the country was eventually replaced by another
monarchy with a strong support by the fascist regime of Italy however, both
maintained close relations until the Italian invasion of the country. Zogu
remained a conservative but initiated reforms and placed great emphasis on the
development of infrastructure.
In an attempt at social modernisation, the custom of adding one's region to
one's name was dropped. He also made donations of land to international
organisations for the building of schools and hospitals. The armed forces were
trained and supervised by instructors from Italy, and as a counterweight, he
kept British officers in the Gendarmerie despite strong Italian pressure to
remove them.
After being militarily occupied by Italy from 1939 until 1943, the Kingdom of
Albania was a protectorate and a dependency of the Kingdom of Italy governed
by Victor Emmanuel III and his government. In October 1940, Albania served as
a staging ground for an unsuccessful Italian invasion of Greece. A counterattack
resulted in a sizeable portion of southern Albania coming under Greek military
control until April 1941 when Greece capitulated during the German invasion. In
April 1941, territories of Yugoslavia with substantial Albanian population were
annexed to Albania inclusively western Macedonia, a strip of eastern
Montenegro, the town of Tutin in central Serbia and most of Kosovo .[93] [c]

Germans started to occupy the country in September 1943 and subsequently

announced that they would recognise the independence of a neutral Albania
and set about organising a new government, military and law enforcement. Balli
Kombëtar, which had fought against Italy, formed a neutral government and
side by side with the Germans fought against the communist-led National
Liberation Movement of Albania.[94]
During the last years of the war, the country fell into a civil war-like state
between the communists and nationalists. The communists defeated the last
anti-communist forces in the south in 1944. Before the end of November, the
main German troops had withdrawn from Tirana, and the communists took
control by attacking it. The partisans entirely liberated the country from German
occupation on 29 November 1944. A provisional government, which the
communists had formed at Berat in October, administered Albania with Enver
Hoxha as the head of government.
By the end of the Second World War, the main military and political force of the
nation, the Communist party sent forces to northern Albania against the
nationalists to eliminate its rivals. They faced open resistance in Nikaj-
Mërtur, Dukagjin and Kelmend led by Prek Cali.[citation needed] On 15 January 1945, a
clash took place between partisans of the first Brigade and nationalist forces at
the Tamara Bridge, resulting in the defeat of the nationalist forces. About
150 Kelmendi[95] people were killed or tortured. This event was the starting point
of many other issues which took place during Enver Hoxha's dictatorship. Class
struggle was strictly applied, human freedom and human rights were denied.
[96]
 The Kelmend region was almost isolated by both the border and by a lack of
roads for another 20 years, the institution of agricultural cooperatives brought
about economic decline. Many Kelmendi people fled, and some were executed
trying to cross the border.[96]
Communism
Main article: Communism in Albania
Further information: Bunkers in Albania

Enver Hoxha served as Prime Minister and First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania.

In the aftermath of World War II and the defeat of the Axis Powers, the country
became initially a satellite state of the Soviet Union, and Enver Hoxha emerged
as the leader of the newly established People's Republic of Albania.[97] Soviet-
Albanian relations began to deteriorate after Stalin's death in 1953. At this point,
the country started to develop foreign relations with other communist countries,
among others with the People's Republic of China.
During this period, the country experienced an increasing industrialisation and
urbanisation, a rapid collectivisation and economic growth which led to a higher
standard of living.[96] The government called for the development of infrastructure
and most notably the introduction of a railway system that completely revamped
transportation.
The new land reform laws were passed granting ownership of the land to the
workers and peasants who tilled it. Agriculture became cooperative, and
production increased significantly, leading to the country becoming agriculturally
self-sufficient. In the field of education, illiteracy was eliminated among the
country's adult population.[98] The government also oversaw the emancipation of
women and the expansion of healthcare and education throughout the country.
[99]

The average annual increase in the country's national income was 29% and
56% higher than the world and European average, respectively. [100][failed verification] The
nation incurred large debts initially with Yugoslavia until 1948, then the Soviet
Union until 1961 and China from the middle of the 1950s. [101] The constitution of
the communist regime did not allow taxes on individuals, instead, taxes were
imposed on cooperatives and other organisations, with much the same effect. [102]

A bunker overlooking the Albanian Alps. By 1983, approximately 173,371 concrete bunkers were

scattered across the country.[103]

Today a secular state without any official religion, religious freedoms and

practices were severely curtailed during the communist era with all forms of
worship being outlawed. In 1945, the Agrarian Reform Law meant that large
swaths of property owned by religious groups were nationalised, mostly
the waqfs along with the estates of mosques, tekkes, monasteries and
dioceses. Many believers, along with the ulema and many priests, were
arrested and executed. In 1949, a new Decree on Religious Communities
required that all their activities be sanctioned by the state alone. [104]
After hundreds of mosques and dozens of Islamic libraries containing priceless
manuscripts were destroyed, Hoxha proclaimed Albania the world's first atheist
state in 1967.[105][106] The churches had not been spared either and many were
converted into cultural centres for young people. A 1967 law banned all fascist,
religious, and antisocialist activity and propaganda. Preaching religion carried a
three to ten-year prison sentence.
Nonetheless, many Albanians continued to practice their beliefs secretly. The
anti-religious policy of Hoxha attained its most fundamental legal and political
expression a decade later: "The state recognizes no religion", states the 1976
constitution, "and supports and carries out atheistic propaganda in order to
implant a scientific materialistic world outlook in people". [106]
Fourth Republic
Main article: Fall of communism in Albania
Further information: Pyramid schemes and civil war of 1997

In 1988, the first foreigners were allowed to walk into the car-free Skanderbeg Square in Tirana.

After forty years of communism and isolation as well as the revolutions of 1989,

people, most notably students, became politically active and campaigned
against the government that led to the transformation of the existing order.
Following the popular support in the first multi-party elections of 1991, the
communists retained a stronghold in the parliament until the victory in
the general elections of 1992 led by the Democratic Party.[107]
Considerable economic and financial resources were devoted to pyramid
schemes that were widely supported by the government. The schemes swept
up somewhere between one sixth and one third of the population of the country.
[108][109]
 Despite the warnings of the International Monetary Fund, Sali
Berisha defended the schemes as large investment firms, leading more people
to redirect their remittances and sell their homes and cattle for cash to deposit
in the schemes.[110]
The schemes began to collapse in late 1996, leading many of the investors to
join initially peaceful protests against the government, requesting their money
back. The protests turned violent in February 1997 as government forces
responded by firing on the demonstrators. In March, the Police and Republican
Guard deserted, leaving their armouries open. These were promptly emptied by
militias and criminal gangs. The resulting civil war caused a wave of
evacuations of foreign nationals and refugees. [111]
The crisis led both Aleksandër Meksi and Sali Berisha to resign from office in
the wake of the general election. In April 1997, Operation Alba, a UN
peacekeeping force led by Italy, entered the country with two goals exclusively
to assist with the evacuation of expatriates and to secure the ground for
international organisations. The main international organisation that was
involved was the Western European Union's multinational Albanian
Police element, which worked with the government to restructure the judicial
system and simultaneously the Albanian police.
Contemporary