The new history of Albanian communism? Instead of an epilogue

Summary

On September 6, 2011, a special session of the Albanian parliament took place, with the intention of commemorating the 65^th anniversary of the Postribe Uprising, as it was described by Albanian historians. The Speaker of the Assembly, Jozefina Topalli, while describing the historic role of the events in Postribe, sharply criticised the previous activity of Albanian historians: “The Postribe Uprising was the first anti-communist uprising in Europe, and I have one question for the historians: where are you? Why do you not write about it, why do you not say the truth? It wouldn't hurt anyone. I invite you to reopen this new chapter.”

Topalli's speech from September 6, 2011, is part of the rhetoric which, since the victorious parliamentary elections in 2009, Sali Berisha's ruling Democratic Party of Albania has used. The idea of rishikimi i historise (literally: a revision of history) seems to be a new idea in Albanian public discourse, but it is also a clear reference to the propaganda of Berisha's party between 1992 and 1997. Following the works of Albanian historians during those years, it is easy to observe a clear tendency to discredit the communist leaders. Accusations of treason against nationalist interests, the inability to govern and the repression of its own nation may be interpreted not only from monographs saturated with emotions and scientific articles, but also from official sources.