Fall of communism in Albania
|Fall of Communism in Albania|
The Fall of Enver Hoxha's Statue in central Tirana
|Location||Albania, Mainly Shkodër, Kavajë and Tirana|
|Date||January 7, 1991|
The Fall of communism in Albania started in December 1990 with student demonstrations. March 1991 elections left the former Communists in power, but a general strike and urban opposition led to the formation of a coalition cabinet which included non-Communists. Albania's former Communists were routed in elections in March 1992 amid economic collapse and social unrest.
In the Socialist People's Republic of Albania, Enver Hoxha, who ruled Albania for four decades with an iron fist, died on 11 April 1985. In 1989, the first revolts started in Shkodra; where the people wanted to demolish Joseph Stalin's statue; and spread to other cities. Eventually, the existing regime introduced some liberalization, including measures in 1990 providing for freedom to travel abroad. Efforts were begun to improve ties with the outside world.
About 5,000 men and 450 women were executed under the rule of Enver Hoxha. 34,135 People were jailed, and 1,000 died in prison. Many families are still looking for the remains of their executed relatives.
After Hoxha’s death in 1985, he was succeeded by Ramiz Alia. Alia's policies tried to preserve the communist system while introducing gradual reforms in order to revive the economy, which had been declining steadily since the cessation of aid from former communist allies. To this end Alia legalized investments by foreign firms and expanded diplomatic relations with Western European countries.
During the turmoil in other communist states in Europe the Albanians had no idea of what was happening due to the lack of information within the isolated state. Most Albanians didn't even know that the Berlin Wall had fallen.
However, with the fall of communism in eastern Europe in 1989, various segments of Albanian society became politically active and began to agitate against the government. The most alienated groups were those of certain intellectuals and of the working class — traditionally the vanguard of a communist movement or organization — as well as Albania’s youth, which had been frustrated by years of confinement and restrictions.
In response to these pressures, Alia granted Albanian citizens the right to travel abroad, previously forbidden, curtailed the powers of the Sigurimi forces, restored religious freedom, and adopted some free-market measures for the economy. In December 1990, under pressure from students and workers, Alia's government allowed the creation of independent political parties, thus signaling an end to the communists’ official monopoly on power.
Mikhail Gorbachev had meanwhile already adopted new policies of glasnost and perestroika in the Soviet Union. After Nicolae Ceauşescu, the communist leader of Romania, was executed during the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Alia knew that he might be next if changes were not made. He then signed the Helsinki Agreement which forced Albania to respect human rights. Under Alia, the first pluralist elections took place since the communists had taken power in Albania in 1944. Alia's party won the election of March 31, 1991.
Nevertheless, it was clear that the change would not be stopped. Pursuant to a 1991 interim basic law, Albania ratified its post communist constitution in 1998, establishing a democratic system of government based upon the rule of law and guaranteeing the protection of fundamental human rights. It is interesting to note that all leading members of the newly formed Democratic Party wore white coats during demonstrations, while Berisha was heard thanking Ramiz Alia when meeting with the students, and was seen driving around Skanderbeg Square with a government vehicle.
The communists managed to retain control of the government in the first round of elections under the interim law, but fell two months later during a general strike. A committee of "national salvation" took over but also collapsed in six months. On March 22, 1992 the Communists were trumped by the Democratic Party in national elections. The change from dictatorship to democracy had many challenges.
The Democratic Party had to implement the reforms it had promised, but they were either too slow or did not solve the nation's problems, so the people were disappointed when their hopes for fast prosperity went unfulfilled. In the general elections of June 1996 the Democratic Party tried to win an absolute majority and manipulated the results.
This government collapsed in 1997 in the wake of the additional collapse of pyramid schemes and widespread corruption, which caused disorder and rebellion throughout the country. The government attempted to suppress the rebellion by military force but the attempt failed, due to long-term corruption of the Armed Forces.
 Start of opposition
With each concession to the opposition, the state’s absolute control over Albanian society weakened. Continuing economic, social, and political instability led to the fall of several governments, and in March 1992 a decisive electoral victory was won by the anticommunist opposition, led by the Democratic Party. Alia resigned as president and was succeeded by Sali Berisha, the first democratic leader of Albania since Bishop Fan Noli.
- MISTERET E DHJETORIT 1990, TV Klan
- "Albanians want Hoxha stripped of hero titles". Reuters.
- Lami, Remzi. "Albania: nine years after". AIM Tirana (Also available in English here). Retrieved 21 November 2010.
- Albania and the European Union: the tumultuous journey towards integration. p. 21. Retrieved 2011-06-27.
- Journal of Democracy
 Further reading
- Meksi, Aleksander. Dhjetor '90: Dokumente dhe materiale, Tirana: UET Press, 2010. ISBN 978-99956-39-40-2
- Fall of Communism Youtube
- (Albanian) Ramiz Alia with the students (11-10-1990)
- Prision nation on Radio.cz