Chapter III - Economy

Summary

Having experienced a Stalinist development strategy for more than 30 years, Albanian economic structure differs from that of these African states [Angola and Mozambique] in that only a little less than half the population live in towns.

In communist Albania, discussions concerning the progress and changes in civilization which took place after 1944 most frequently began with a presentation of the actual situation of Albanian development before 1939. Such a presentation led to the simplified conclusion that, from a level of one of the least developed European states, with an archaic economy and an illiterate society, Albania succeeded during the years of communism in becoming a modern country, in which heavy industry played a key role.

There is no doubt that pre-war Albania belonged to the least developed economic areas in Europe. The basis of survival for most people was archaic agriculture and shepherding. Even against the background of the other Balkan states, the perspective of modernizing Albania seemed to be especially limited. In the mid-30s, as many as 86% of the population worked on the land. In comparison, the figure in Yugoslavia was 80.8%, in Bulgaria 74.6%, and in Greece only 61%. The scale of illiteracy in Albania in the 1930s exceeded 80%, while in the other Balkan states it was less than 50%.