8 - Albania’s Stalinist Dictatorship, 1944–1989

Summary

Chapter 8 describes the rise of the Stalinist dictatorship under Enver Hoxha from its foundation on the ruins of the prewar Albania, through its construction by the use of Soviet tactics, to its consolidation in the late 1950s. The new Socialist Albania begins the post-war period as a sub-satellite of the Yugoslavs. Barely avoiding absorption as the seventh Yugoslav republic, the state breaks with Tito and becomes a full satellite of the Soviet Union. Albania experiences a fundamental transformation of society and the economy in pursuit of socialism and the "socialist man." The regime follows the Soviet model with collectivization and rapid industrialization but as the Soviets soften following the death of Stalin, Hoxha becomes more extreme turning to China as Albania’s third protector. The Chinese period witnessed the excesses of the ideological and cultural revolution but as China begins to integrate into the world community Albania is left isolated with a deteriorating economy. Hoxha’s successor, Ramiz Alia attempts to preserve the system through generally minor reforms. The chapter concludes with an evaluation of the Hoxha years.