1.
Flag of Albania
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The flag of Albania is a red flag with a silhouetted black double-headed eagle in the center. The red stands for bravery, strength and valor, while the eagle represents the sovereign state of Albania located in the Balkans. Elements of the design such as the double-headed eagle were borrowed from the banner of the Byzantine Empire. The eagle was used for purposes in the Late Middle Ages by a number of noble families in Albania. This was the flag of the League of Lezhë, which was the first unified Albanian state in the Middle Ages. On 28 November 1912, the Albanian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed in Vlora, the Albanian flag has gone through a number of changes over the years as different regimes have modified it. During the reign of King Zog, a crown was added to the flag and was replaced by two fasces during the Italian occupation of Albania. After World War II, the communist regime added a golden star. Albanias maritime flags—the civil ensign and the naval ensign—are both different from the national flag, the civil ensign consists of three horizontal bands of red, black, and red. The naval ensign is similar to the flag, except that the eagle is on a white field. The eagle of the flag of Albania is depicted on the reverse of the Albanian five lekë coin, beginning in 1969, the flag of Albania was widely unofficially flown in Kosovo by the countrys ethnic Albanian population. It was the symbol of the unrecognized Republic of Kosova during the 1990s, the current independent state of Kosovo uses a different flag that was designed to avoid any symbols associated with a particular ethnic group. There is a version of the flag still commonly used by Albanians and officials. The flags had deformed eagles, a detail which didnt go without notice, the flags were ordered from a Chinese company that didnt get all details right. These flags were removed after Independence day, but few specimens are still active around the World. Emblem of Albania Flag of Kosovo List of flags of Kosovo Culture of Albania The Tale of the Eagle http, //www. flagscorner. com/albania-flag/ Albania at Flags of the World
2.
Coat of arms of Albania
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The coat of arms of Albania is an adaptation of the flag of Albania. It is based on the flag and seal of Gjergj Kastriot Skanderbeg, the emblem above the head of the two-headed eagle is the helmet of Skanderbeg, surmounted with billy goats horns. The eagle is considered to violate the rule of tincture. Skanderbegs helmet is made of metal, adorned with a strip dressed in gold. On its top lies the head of a goat made of bronze. It is thought that the strip with the monogram is the work of the descendants of Skanderbeg and was placed there by them, as Skanderbeg never held any other title. Contemporary sources show that 14th century Albanians were invariably identified as a tribal peoples and this second explanation may not be the truer, since the theory of the Macedonian-Albanian and Epirot-Albanian continuance is strong among Albanians but not among all the peoples of Europe. Indeed, the times when the star of Macedon shone brilliantly had returned, just as they seemed in those long forgotten times of Pyrrhus, Albania National Emblem In The World All Countries National Emblem
3.
Workers of the world, unite!
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Five years before the Communist Manifesto, the phrase appeared in the 1843 book The Workers Union by Flora Tristan. It reflected Marxs and Engels view of proletarian internationalism, first that workers should unite in unions to better push for their demands such as workplace pay and conditions. Secondly, that workers should see beyond their various craft unions, and thirdly, that workers of different countries have more in common with each other than workers and employers of the same country. The phrase was used by the Industrial Workers of the World in propaganda and songs, the IWW used it when opposing World War I in both the USA and Australia. The slogan was the Soviet Unions state motto, appeared in the State Emblem of the Soviet Union, on 1919 Russian SFSR banknotes, on Soviet coins from 1921 to 1934, the nascent USSR under Vladimir Lenin was oriented toward international communism. Contemporarily, some socialist and communist parties continue using it, moreover, it is a common usage in popular culture, often chanted during labor strikes and protests. In the first Swedish translation of the Communist Manifesto, published in 1848, later translations have, however, included the original slogan. Amongst Maoist-oriented groups a variation invented by Vladimir Lenin, Workers and Oppressed Peoples and Nations of the World and this slogan was the rallying cry of the 2nd Comintern congress in 1920, and denoted the anti-imperialist and anti-colonialist agenda of the Comintern. The phrase has been translated into many languages, all of the Soviet Socialist Republics in the Soviet Union had it as their motto translated into the local languages. An extensive list of translations is available at Wiktionary. Manifesto of the Communist Party by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
4.
Himni i Flamurit
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Himni i Flamurit is the national anthem of Albania. The music of the anthem was adapted from a composition by the Romanian composer Ciprian Porumbescu. Whereas the words were written by the Albanian poet Asdreni, and are different from the original Romanian lyrics which Andrei Barseanu wrote for Porumbescus piece. The hymn was first published as a poem in Liri e Shqipërisë, the original title of the poem was Betimi mi flamur. It was later printed in a volume of poems by Drenova titled Ëndra e lotë and this is also explained by Porumbescus musical formation, since he had studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna. The view has been shared by Albanian musicologist, Ramadan Sokoli, there are two versions of the anthem, a long and a short one. Below is the text for the long version, the second stanza is considered as refrain and is repeated at the end. The short version makes use of the first two stanzas only and repeats the last two verses of the 2nd stanza, usually, in sportive events among national teams, the short version is the one officially used. Himni Kombëtar i Republikës së Shqipërisë Albania, Himni i Flamurit - Audio of the anthem of Albania, with information
5.
Tirana
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Tirana /tᵻˈrɑːnə/ is the capital and largest city of Albania and as well the heart of Albanias cultural, economic and governmental activity. It is located on the center of the country surrounded by hills with the Dajti Mountain on the east. The city is located some 700 kilometres north of Athens,290 km west of Skopje,250 km south-east of Pristina and 160 km south of Podgorica. Tirana is a city with a history dating from the Paleolithic times back 10,000 to 30,000 years ago to the present day. The oldest settlement located in the area of the city was the Cave of Pellumbas, as argued by various archaeologists, Tirana and its suburbs are filled with ancient Illyrian toponyms as its precincts are some of the earliest regions in Albania to be inhabited. One of the ancient monuments, the Tirana Mosaic is believed to have part of a 3rd century ancient Roman house. Later, in the 5th and 6th centuries, a Paleo-Christian Basilica was built around this site, Tirana was founded as a city in 1614 although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. An almost unimportant centre until the beginning of the 20th century, the Congress of Lushnjë proclaimed Tirana as the capital of Albania, Tirana is one of largest cities in the Balkan Peninsula ranking 7th with a population of 800,000 and the largest Albanian-speaking city in the world. The municipality, has a population of 800,986. It is also the biggest Metropolitan area in Albania and the one with a population of over 800.000. Being Albanias primate city, Tirana is the political, social and cultural center of Albania. Almost all of the largest companies, media and scientific institutions have their headquarters in the city, the city is ranked in the Top 10 of the sunniest cities in Europe with a total of 2,544 hours of sun. As argued by various archaeologists, Tirana and its suburbs are filled with Illyrian toponyms, as its precincts are some of the earliest inhabited regions in Albania. A castle possibly called Tirkan or Theranda, whose remnants are found along Murat Toptani Street, was built by Emperor Justinian in 520 A. D. the area had no special importance in Illyrian and classical times. Records from the first land registrations under the Ottomans in 1431–32 show that Tirana consisted of 60 inhabited areas, Tirana is mentioned since 1572 as Borgo di Tirana. In 1614, Sulejman Bargjini, a ruler, built the Old mosque, a small commercial centre. During this period, the Ethem Bey Mosque, built by Molla Bey of Petrela, was constructed and it employed the best artisans in the country and was completed in 1821 by Mollas son Etëhem, who was also Sulejman Bargjinis grandnephew. In 1800, the first newcomers arrived in the settlement, the so-called ortodoksit and they were Vlachs from villages near Korçë and Pogradec, who settled around modern day Park on the Artificial Lake
6.
Albanian language
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Centuries-old communities speaking Albanian-based dialects can be found scattered in Greece, Southern Italy, Sicily, and Ukraine. Due to the large Albanian diaspora, the number of speakers is much higher than the native speakers in Southeast Europe. The first audio recording of Albanian was made by Norbert Jokl on 4 April 1914 in Vienna, the Albanian language is part of the Indo-European language group. In general there is insufficient evidence to connect Albanian with one of those languages, Albanian is now considered an isolate within Indo-European, no extant language shares the same branch. The only other languages that are the surviving member of a branch of Indo-European are Armenian. Although Albanian shares lexical isoglosses with Greek, Balto-Slavic, and Germanic languages, in 1995, Ann Taylor, Donald Ringe and Tandy Warnow described as surprising their finding, using quantitative linguistic techniques, that Albanian appears to comprise a subgroup with Germanic. This theory is reinforced by subsequent research by the same authors, Albanian also shares two features with Balto-Slavic languages, a lengthening of syllabic consonants before voiced obstruents and a distinct treatment of long syllables ending in a sonorant. Other conservative features of Albanian include the retention of the distinction between active and middle voice, present tense and aorist. In another but uncommon hypothesis, Albanian is grouped with both Balto-Slavic and Germanic based on the merger of Proto-Indo-European *ǒ and *ǎ into *ǎ in a northern group. However, this shift is now regarded as only part of a larger push chain that affected all long vowels. The earliest loanwords attested in Albanian come from Doric Greek, whereas the strongest influence came from Latin, curtis, the loanwords do not necessarily indicate the geographical location of the ancestor of Albanian language. However, according to linguists, the borrowed words can help to get an idea about the place of origin. The period during which Proto-Albanian and Latin interacted was protracted and drawn out roughly from the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD. This is borne out into three layers of borrowings, the largest number belonging to the second layer, which may be compared to, for example. The first, with the fewest borrowings, was a time of less important interaction, the final period, probably preceding the Slavic or Germanic invasions, also has a notably smaller number of borrowings. Other formative changes include the syncretism of several case endings, especially in the plural. Such borrowing indicates that the Romanians migrated from an area where the majority was Slavic to an area with a majority of Albanian speakers and their movement is probably related to the expansion of the Bulgarian Empire into Albania around that time. Jernej Kopitar was the first to note Latins influence on Albanian, Kopitar gave examples such as Albanian qiqer from Latin cicer, qytet from civitas, peshk from piscis and shigjetë from sagitta
7.
Enver Hoxha
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Enver Halil Hoxha was the communist leader of Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985, as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania. He was chairman of the Democratic Front of Albania and commander-in-chief of the forces from 1944 until his death. He served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Albania from 1944 to 1954 and at times served as foreign minister. His rule was characterized by the use of Stalinist methods to destroy associates who threatened his power. Hoxhas government was characterized by his firm adherence to anti-revisionist Marxism–Leninism from the mid-1970s onwards. After his break with Maoism in the 1976–78 period, numerous Maoist parties around the world declared themselves Hoxhaist, the International Conference of Marxist–Leninist Parties and Organizations is the best known association of these parties today. Hoxha was born in Gjirokastër, a city in southern Albania that has home to many prominent families. He was the son of Halil Hoxha, a Muslim Tosk cloth merchant who travelled widely across Europe and the United States, and Gjylihan Hoxha. The Hoxha family was attached to the Bektashi tradition, fourteen years before Enver set off for France to study, at age 16, Hoxha helped found and became secretary of the Students Society of Gjirokastër, which protested against the monarchist government of Zog I. After the government closed the Society, he moved to Korçë, there he learned French history, literature and philosophy, and read the Communist Manifesto for the first time. In 1930, Hoxha went to study at the University of Montpellier in France on a scholarship given to him by the Queen Mother for the faculty of natural sciences. He attended the lessons and the conferences of the Association of Workers organised by the French Communist Party, after a year, lacking interest in biology, and after not having passed any university exams, he left Montpellier to go to Paris hoping to continue his studies. He attended philosophy classes at Sorbonne, but, again, did not sit for any exam, in Paris, it is said that he collaborated with LHumanité, writing articles on the situation in Albania under the pseudonym Lulo Malësori. He also got involved in the Albanian Communist Group under the tutelage of Llazar Fundo and he dropped out once more, and from 1934 to 1936 he was a secretary at the Albanian consulate in Brussels, attached to the personnel office of the Queen Mother. He was dismissed after the consul discovered that his employee kept Marxist materials and he returned to Albania in 1936 and taught grammar school in the French Lyceum of Korçë. His extensive education left him fluent in French with a knowledge of Italian, Croatian, English. As a leader, he would often reference Le Monde and the International Herald Tribune, on 7 April 1939, Albania was invaded by Fascist Italy. The Italians established a government in Albania under Mustafa Merlika-Kruja
8.
Constituent assembly
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The National Constituent Assembly was formed from the National Assembly on 9 July 1789 during the first stages of the French Revolution. It dissolved on 30 September 1791 and was succeeded by the Legislative Assembly, the Estates-General of 1789, made up of representatives of the three estates, which had not been convoked since 1614, convened on 5 May 1789. The Estates-General reached a deadlock in its deliberations by 6 May, the representatives of the Third Estate attempted to make the whole body more effective and so met separately from 11 May as the Communes. On 12 June, the Communes invited the other Estates to join them, on 17 June 1789, the Communes approved the motion made by Sieyès that declared themselves the National Assembly by a vote of 490 to 90. The Third Estate now believed themselves to be an authority equal to that of the King. A legislative and political agenda unfolded, there were soon attempts by King Louis XVI and the Second Estate to prevent the delegates from meeting, as well as misunderstandings on both sides about each others intentions. Failing to disperse the delegates, Louis started to recognize their validity on 27 June, the Assembly renamed itself the National Constituent Assembly on 9 July and began to function as a governing body and a constitution-drafter. However, it is common to refer to the body even after then as the National Assembly or the Constituent Assembly, following the storming of the Bastille on 14 July, the National Constituent Assembly became the effective government of France. In the words of historian François Mignet, The assembly had acquired the power, the corporations depended on it. The royal power, though existing of right, was in a suspended, since it was not obeyed. The number of the Estates-General increased significantly during the election period, according to Timothy Tackett, there were a total of 1,177 deputies in the Assembly by mid-July 1789. Among them,278 belonged to the nobility,295 to the clergy, for the entire duration of the Assembly, a total of 1,315 deputies were certified,330 clerics,322 nobles, and 663 deputies of the Third Estate. Tackett noted that the majority of the Second Estate had a background. In the early period, its most notable leaders included Honoré Mirabeau, the Marquis de Lafayette, lameths brother Charles also belonged to this group. For a partial list of members of the National Constituent Assembly, in the summer of 1791, the National Constituent Assembly decided that the king needed to be restored to the throne if he accepted the constitution. The decision was made after the failed attempt to flee to Varennes. That decision enraged many Parisians into protesting, and one major protest devolved into the Champ de Mars Massacre, after surviving the vicissitudes of a revolutionary two years, the National Constituent Assembly dissolved itself on 30 September 1791. The following day, the Constitution of 1791 went into effect and this article incorporates text from the public domain History of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1814, by François Mignet, as made available by Project Gutenberg
9.
World War II
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World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the worlds countries—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing alliances, the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. Marked by mass deaths of civilians, including the Holocaust and the bombing of industrial and population centres. These made World War II the deadliest conflict in human history, from late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany conquered or controlled much of continental Europe, and formed the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan. Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories of their European neighbours, Poland, Finland, Romania and the Baltic states. In December 1941, Japan attacked the United States and European colonies in the Pacific Ocean, and quickly conquered much of the Western Pacific. The Axis advance halted in 1942 when Japan lost the critical Battle of Midway, near Hawaii, in 1944, the Western Allies invaded German-occupied France, while the Soviet Union regained all of its territorial losses and invaded Germany and its allies. During 1944 and 1945 the Japanese suffered major reverses in mainland Asia in South Central China and Burma, while the Allies crippled the Japanese Navy, thus ended the war in Asia, cementing the total victory of the Allies. World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world, the United Nations was established to foster international co-operation and prevent future conflicts. The victorious great powers—the United States, the Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers waned, while the decolonisation of Asia, most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to end pre-war enmities, the start of the war in Europe is generally held to be 1 September 1939, beginning with the German invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. The dates for the beginning of war in the Pacific include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or even the Japanese invasion of Manchuria on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor, who held that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously and this article uses the conventional dating. Other starting dates sometimes used for World War II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939, the exact date of the wars end is also not universally agreed upon. It was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 14 August 1945, rather than the formal surrender of Japan
10.
Cold War
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The Cold War was a state of geopolitical tension after World War II between powers in the Eastern Bloc and powers in the Western Bloc. Historians do not fully agree on the dates, but a common timeframe is the period between 1947, the year the Truman Doctrine was announced, and 1991, the year the Soviet Union collapsed. The term cold is used there was no large-scale fighting directly between the two sides, although there were major regional wars, known as proxy wars, supported by the two sides. The Cold War split the temporary alliance against Nazi Germany, leaving the Soviet Union. The USSR was a Marxist–Leninist state ruled by its Communist Party and secret police, the Party controlled the press, the military, the economy and all organizations. In opposition stood the West, dominantly democratic and capitalist with a free press, a small neutral bloc arose with the Non-Aligned Movement, it sought good relations with both sides. The two superpowers never engaged directly in full-scale armed combat, but they were armed in preparation for a possible all-out nuclear world war. The first phase of the Cold War began in the first two years after the end of the Second World War in 1945, the Berlin Blockade was the first major crisis of the Cold War. With the victory of the communist side in the Chinese Civil War and the outbreak of the Korean War, the USSR and USA competed for influence in Latin America, and the decolonizing states of Africa and Asia. Meanwhile, the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was stopped by the Soviets, the expansion and escalation sparked more crises, such as the Suez Crisis, the Berlin Crisis of 1961, and the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. The USSR crushed the 1968 Prague Spring liberalization program in Czechoslovakia, détente collapsed at the end of the decade with the beginning of the Soviet–Afghan War in 1979. The early 1980s were another period of elevated tension, with the Soviet downing of Korean Air Lines Flight 007, the United States increased diplomatic, military, and economic pressures on the Soviet Union, at a time when the communist state was already suffering from economic stagnation. In the mid-1980s, the new Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev introduced the reforms of perestroika and glasnost. Pressures for national independence grew stronger in Eastern Europe, especially Poland, Gorbachev meanwhile refused to use Soviet troops to bolster the faltering Warsaw Pact regimes as had occurred in the past. The result in 1989 was a wave of revolutions that peacefully overthrew all of the communist regimes of Central, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union itself lost control and was banned following an abortive coup attempt in August 1991. This in turn led to the dissolution of the USSR in December 1991. The United States remained as the only superpower. The Cold War and its events have left a significant legacy and it is often referred to in popular culture, especially in media featuring themes of espionage and the threat of nuclear warfare
11.
People's Socialist Republic of Albania
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Albania, officially the Peoples Socialist Republic of Albania, was a socialist state that ruled Albania from 1946 to its fall in 1992. From 1946 to 1976 it was known as the Peoples Republic of Albania, travel and visa restrictions made Albania one of the most difficult countries to visit or to travel from. In 1967, it declared itself the worlds first atheist state and it was the only Warsaw Pact member to formally withdraw from the alliance before 1990, an action occasioned by the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. The Peoples Socialist Republic was officially dissolved on 28 November 1998 upon the adoption of the new Constitution of Albania, on 29 November 1944, Albania was liberated by the National Liberation Movement. The Anti-Fascist National Liberation Council, formed in May, became the provisional government. The government, like the LNC, was dominated by the two-year-old Communist Party of Albania, King Zog I was barred from ever returning to Albania, though the country nominally remained a monarchy. From the start, the LNC government was an undisguised Communist regime, in the other countries in what became the Soviet bloc, the Communists were at least nominally part of coalition governments for a few years before taking complete control. The internal affairs minister, Koçi Xoxe, an erstwhile pro-Yugoslavia tinsmith, presided over the trial of many non-communist politicians condemned as enemies of the people and those spared were imprisoned for years in work camps and jails and later settled on state farms built on reclaimed marshlands. In December 1945, Albanians elected a new Peoples Assembly, official ballot tallies showed that 92% of the electorate voted and that 93% of the voters chose the Democratic Front ticket. The assembly convened in January 1946 and its first act was to formally abolish the monarchy and to declare Albania a peoples republic. However, as mentioned above, the country had been a Communist state for just over two years, after months of angry debate, the assembly adopted a constitution that mirrored the Yugoslav and Soviet constitutions. Then in the spring, the members chose a new government. Hoxha became prime minister, foreign minister, defense minister, Xoxe remained both internal affairs minister and the partys organizational secretary. Hoxha remained in control despite the fact that he had once advocated restoring relations with Italy, the communists also undertook economic measures to expand their power. In December 1944, the government adopted laws allowing the state to regulate foreign and domestic trade, commercial enterprises. The laws sanctioned confiscation of property belonging to political exiles and enemies of the people, in August 1945, the provisional government adopted the first sweeping agricultural reforms in Albanias history. The countrys 100 largest landowners, who controlled close to a third of Albanias arable land, had frustrated all agricultural reform proposals before the war, the communists reforms were aimed at squeezing large landowners out of business, winning peasant support, and increasing farm output to avert famine. The government annulled outstanding agricultural debts, granted peasants access to water for irrigation
12.
National Liberation Movement (Albania)
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The National Liberation Movement, also translated as National Liberation Front, was an Albanian resistance organization that fought in World War II. It was created on 16 September 1942, in a conference held in Pezë, apart from the communist figures which had the majority in the General Council it also included known nationalist figures like Myslym Peza, etc. The Albanian National Liberation Front was later transformed in May 1944 in the government of Albania and it was replaced in August 1945 by the Democratic Front. The Albanian National Liberation Army was the army created during the National Liberation Movement, Albania did not put an organized resistance to the Italian invasion of 7 April 1939. However different Albanian groups of such as Mujo Ulqinaku and Abaz Kupi made a brief resistance to the invasion force in Durrës on the day of invasion. Durrës was captured on April 7, Tirana the following day, Shkodër and Gjirokastër on April 9, meanwhile, the communist activity in Albania increased and culminated with the creation on 8 November 1941 of the Albanian Communist Party. The communist party began to create from December 1941 to the beginning of 1942 their own groups of resistance made up of 5-10 people and these detachments started to engage in various acts of sabotage to the Italian forces. They also started to make antifascist propaganda in order to gain the attention, as of 1942 the local press and the foreign consulates began to report an increasing number of attacks. The most spectacular act of sabotage was the interruption of all telegraphic and telephone communications in Albania in June, although the communist activity was increasing, the main concern for Italians were the northern bands. The Italians had given up on governing Northern Albania, in the conference the Communist Party of Albania invited all the Albanian resistance leaders to create a national resistance front. The Communist Party saw the creation of this front as a necessary need for Albania and its intention was to dominate this front although some figures within the Albanian Communist Party opposed the idea of an organized front with other nationalists fearing a betrayal from them. Mehdi Frashëri was the president of the conference, a fact suppressed later by the communist history. The General Council would supervise local liberation councils, in already liberated areas, they were to function as new state. They were to maintain law and order developing local economy, overseeing food supply, trade, education, culture and they would also settle blood feuds, and maintain readiness for war. Partisan bands were organized in fifty or sixty men including a communist commissary, the party, whenever possible directed both politically and militarily. Each partisan band had a cell and both the political cell and the commissary were responsible to regional committees of party. The partisan units were supplemented by territorial units-irregular self-defense detachments made up of volunteers and they were planned for every larger village or one for two-to-three villages together. Their function was to protect the zones and to serve as a source of replenishment for the regular partisan units
13.
World War II in Albania
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The Center for Relief to Civilian Populations reported that Albania was one of the most devastated countries in Europe. 60,000 houses were destroyed and about 10% of the population was left homeless, see also, Albanian Kingdom As Germany annexed Austria and moved against Czechoslovakia, Italy saw itself becoming a second-rate member of the Axis. After Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia without notifying Mussolini in advance, the Italian dictator decided in early 1939 to proceed with his own annexation of Albania, Italys King Victor Emmanuel III criticized the plan to take Albania as an unnecessary risk. Rome, however, delivered Tiranë an ultimatum on March 25,1939, Zog refused to accept money in exchange for countenancing a full Italian takeover and colonization of Albania, and on April 7,1939, Mussolinis troops invaded Albania. The original Italian plans for the called for up to 50,000 men supported by 137 naval units and 400 airplanes. Ultimately the invasion force grew to 100,000 men supported by 600 airplanes, on April 7 Mussolinis troops, led by General Alfredo Guzzoni, invaded Albania, attacking all Albanian ports simultaneously. There were 65 units in Saranda,40 at Vlorë,38 in Durrës,28 at Shëngjin and 8 more at Bishti i Pallës. Equipped only with small arms and three guns, they succeeded in keeping the Italians at bay for several hours until a large number of small tanks were unloaded from the Italian ships. After that, resistance began to crumble, and within five hours Italian troops had captured the city, by 1,30 pm on the first day, all Albanian ports were in Italian hands. Unwilling to become an Italian puppet, King Zog, his wife, Queen Geraldine Apponyi, on April 12, the Albanian parliament voted to unite the country with Italy. On April 15,1939, Albania withdrew from the League of Nations, on June 3,1939, the Albanian foreign ministry was merged into the Italian foreign ministry. The Albanian military was placed under Italian command and formally merged into the Italian Army in 1940, additionally, the Italian Blackshirts formed four legions of Albanian Militia, initially recruited from Italian colonists living in Albania, but later from ethnic Albanians. One of Cianos first moves was to distribute food and clothing in some of the poor areas and he personally distributed 190,000 gold francs to the needy in Tirana, Shkodra, Vlora, Gjirokastra, Saranda, Korça and Kukes. Because the money was given to the poor, bypassing the usual bureaucracy, the Italians also contributed greatly to infrastructure, agriculture, and chrome and hydrocarbon exploration in which Albania was rich. The Italians, then, hoped that extensive investment in Albania would bring economic and political benefits. Initial reports of the Italian activity were quite favorable, ruth Mitchell commented at the end of April 1939, What a great improvement there is in the condition of the people already. The whole atmosphere had become brisker and more enterprising, now at least there is hope, even the German minister Eberhard von Pannwitz, who was perpetually critical of the Italians, commented favorably on the Italian tempo, which he likened to the tempo in Austria after the Anschluss. The new construction projects brought in large amounts of capital and employed many Albanians, the government began letting Italians take technical positions in Albanias civil service
14.
Wehrmacht
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The Wehrmacht was the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1946. It consisted of the Heer, the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe, after the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, one of Adolf Hitler’s most overt and audacious moves was to establish the Wehrmacht, a modern armed forces fully capable of offensive use. In December 1941, Hitler designated himself as commander-in-chief of the Wehrmacht, the Wehrmacht formed the heart of Germany’s politico-military power. In the early part of World War II, Hitlers generals employed the Wehrmacht through innovative combined arms tactics to devastating effect in what was called a Blitzkrieg, the Wehrmachts new military structure, unique combat techniques, newly developed weapons, and unprecedented speed and brutality crushed their opponents. Closely cooperating with the SS, the German armed forces committed war crimes and atrocities. By the time the war ended in Europe in May 1945, only a few of the Wehrmacht’s upper leadership were tried for war crimes, despite evidence suggesting that more were involved in illegal actions. The German term Wehrmacht generically describes any nations armed forces, for example, the Frankfurt Constitution of 1848 designated all German military forces as the German Wehrmacht, consisting of the Seemacht and the Landmacht. In 1919, the term Wehrmacht also appears in Article 47 of the Weimar Constitution, establishing that, from 1919, Germanys national defense force was known as the Reichswehr, a name that was dropped in favor of Wehrmacht on 21 May 1935. In January 1919, after World War I ended with the signing of the armistice of 11 November 1918, in March 1919, the national assembly passed a law founding a 420, 000-strong preliminary army, the Vorläufige Reichswehr. The terms of the Treaty of Versailles were announced in May, the army was limited to one hundred thousand men with an additional fifteen thousand in the navy. The fleet was to consist of at most six battleships, six cruisers, submarines, tanks and heavy artillery were forbidden and the air-force was dissolved. A new post-war military, the Reichswehr, was established on 23 March 1921, General conscription was abolished under another mandate of the Versailles treaty. The Reichswehr was limited to 115,000 men, and thus the armed forces, under the leadership of Hans von Seeckt, though Seeckt retired in 1926, the army that went to war in 1939 was largely his creation. Germany was forbidden to have an air-force by the Versailles treaty, nonetheless and these officers saw the role of an air-force as winning air-superiority, tactical and strategic bombing and providing ground support. That the Luftwaffe did not develop a strategic bombing force in the 1930s was not due to a lack of interest, but because of economic limitations. The leadership of the Navy led by Grand Admiral Erich Raeder, officers who believed in submarine warfare led by Admiral Karl Dönitz were in a minority before 1939. By 1922, Germany had begun covertly circumventing the conditions of the Versailles Treaty, a secret collaboration with the Soviet Union began after the treaty of Rapallo. Major-General Otto Hasse traveled to Moscow in 1923 to further negotiate the terms, Germany helped the Soviet Union with industrialization and Soviet officers were to be trained in Germany
15.
Prime Minister of Albania
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Prime Ministers of Albania is the head of government of the Republic of Albania. The Prime Minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the branch of government in a parliamentary system. Executive power rests with the Council of Ministers, the Chairman of the Council is appointed by the President, ministers are nominated by the President on the basis of the Prime Ministers recommendation. The Peoples Assembly must give approval of the composition of the Council. The Council is responsible for carrying out foreign and domestic policies. It directs and controls the activities of the ministries and other state organs, the first Prime Minister of Albania was Ismail Qemali. The current Prime Minister is Edi Rama, since 15 September 2013, the Constitution of Albania states that the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister can also initiate a proceeding of the Constitutional Court of Albania
16.
Party of Labour of Albania
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The Party of Labour of Albania was the vanguard party of Albania during the communist period as well as the only legal political party. It was founded on November 8,1941, as the Communist Party of Albania, in 1991, the party was succeeded by the Socialist Party of Albania. For most of its existence, the party was dominated by its First Secretary, Enver Hoxha, in the 1920s, Albania was the only Balkan country without a Communist party. The first Albanian communists emerged from the followers of Albanian clergyman and politician Fan S. Noli, once in Moscow, they formed the National Revolutionary Committee and became affiliated to the Comintern. In August 1928, the first Albanian Communist Party was formed in the Soviet Union, the most prominent figure of the party was Ali Kelmendi who left Albania in 1936, to fight in the Spanish Civil War. He was later regarded as the leader of a group of Albanian Communists in France. However, no unified organization existed in Albania until 1941, following the German attack on Russia, Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito under Comintern directives sent two Yugoslav delegates Miladin Popović and Dušan Mugoša to Albania. These two helped unite the Albanian communist groups in 1941, after intensive work, the Albanian Communist Party was formed on November 8,1941 by the two Yugoslav delegates with Enver Hoxha from the Korça branch as its leader. The PKSh was the dominant element of the National Liberation Movement, the LNC drove out the German occupiers on 29 November 1944. From that day onward, Albania was a full-fledged Communist state, in every other Eastern European country, the Communists were at least nominally part of a coalition government for a few years before seizing power at the helm of out-and-out Communist dictatorships. King Zog was barred from returning to Albania, though the monarchy was not formally abolished until 1946. Under Hoxha, the party became the most rigidly anti-revisionist party in the Soviet bloc, the party even went as far as to engineer an Albanian version of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. When it became apparent that Maos successors were moving away from his legacy in 1978, Hoxha led the party and state more or less without resistance until his death in 1985. His successor, Ramiz Alia, was forced to initiate reforms in order to revive the countrys stagnant economy. However, in late 1989, various elements of society began to speak out against the still in place. The execution of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu led Alia to fear hed be next, in response, he allowed Albanians to travel abroad, ended the regimes longstanding policy of state atheism, and slightly loosened government control of the economy. However, these only served to buy Alia more time. Finally, bowing to the inevitable, on 11 December 1990, Alia announced that the PPSh had abandoned power, the PPSh won the Constitutional Assembly elections of 1991
17.
Communist state
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A communist state is a state that is usually administered and governed by a single party representing the proletariat, guided by Marxist–Leninist philosophy, with the aim of achieving communism. The term Communist state is used by Western historians, political scientists, Communist states can be administered by a single, centralised party apparatus, although countries such as the DPRK have several parties. These parties usually are Marxist–Leninist or some variation thereof, with the aim of achieving socialism. Marx saw that in his time, the new nation states were characterized by increasingly intensified class contradiction between the capitalist class and the working class it ruled over. The state ruled by the class during the transition into classless society is called the dictatorship of the proletariat. Vladimir Lenin created revolutionary vanguard theory in an attempt to expand on the concept, during the 20th century, the worlds first constitutionally socialist state was in Russia in 1917. In 1922, it joined other territories of the empire to become the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. After World War II, the Soviet Army occupied much of Eastern Europe, most Communist states in Eastern Europe were allied with the USSR, except for Yugoslavia which declared itself non-aligned. In 1949, after a war against Japanese occupation and a war resulting in a Communist victory. Communist states were established in Cuba, Vietnam, Laos. A Communist state was established in North Korea, although it withdrew from the Communist movement. In 1989, the Communist states in Eastern Europe collapsed under pressure during a wave of non-violent movements which led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Today, the existing Communist states in the world are in China, Cuba, Laos, Communist states share similar institutions, which are organized on the premise that the Communist party is a vanguard of the proletariat and represents the long-term interests of the people. The doctrine of democratic centralism, which was developed by Vladimir Lenin as a set of principles to be used in the affairs of the communist party, is extended to society at large. When used within a party, democratic centralism is meant to prevent factionalism. When applied to a state, democratic centralism creates a one-party system. The constitutions of most socialist states describe their system as a form of democracy. Thus, they recognize the sovereignty of the people as embodied in a series of parliamentary institutions
18.
Zog I of Albania
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Zog I, King of the Albanians, born Ahmet Muhtar Zogolli, taking the surname Zogu in 1922, was the leader of Albania from 1922 to 1939. He first served as Prime Minister of Albania, then as President and his rule as king was characterized by oppression of civil liberties and was similar to the concurrent regime in Italy. His family was a family of landowners, with feudal authority over the region of Mati. His mothers Toptani family claimed to be descended from the sister of Albanias greatest national hero and he was educated at Galatasaray High School in Constantinople, then the seat of the decaying Ottoman Empire, which controlled Albania. Upon his fathers death in 1911, Zogolli became governor of Mat, being appointed ahead of his elder brother, in 1912, he signed the Albanian Declaration of Independence as the representative of the Mat District. As a young man during the First World War, Zogolli volunteered on the side of Austria-Hungary and he was detained at Vienna in 1917 and 1918 and in Rome in 1918 and 1919 before returning to Albania in 1919. During his time in Vienna, he grew to enjoy a Western European lifestyle, upon his return, Zogolli became involved in the political life of the fledgling Albanian government that had been created in the wake of the First World War. His political supporters included many southern feudal landowners and noble families in the north, along with merchants, industrialists, during the early 1920s, Zogolli served as Governor of Shkodër, Minister of the Interior, and chief of the Albanian military. His primary rivals were Luigj Gurakuqi and Fan S. Noli, in 1922, Zogolli formally changed his surname from Zogolli to Zogu, which sounds more Albanian. In 1923, he was shot and wounded in Parliament and he returned to Albania with the backing of Yugoslav forces and Yugoslavia-based White Russian troops under General Wrangel and became Prime Minister. Zogu was officially elected as the first President of Albania by the Constituent Assembly on 21 January 1925, on 28 June 1925, Zogu ceded Sveti Naum to Yugoslavia as a gesture of recognition to the Yugoslav aid to him and in exchange for Peshkëpi village and other minor concessions. His principal ally during this period was Italy, which lent his government funds in exchange for a role in Albanias fiscal policy. During Zogus presidency, serfdom was gradually eliminated, for the first time since the death of Skanderbeg, Albania began to emerge as a nation, rather than a feudal patchwork of local Beyliks. His administration was marred by disputes with Kosovar leaders, primarily Hasan Prishtina, however, Zogus Albania was a police state. He all but eliminated civil liberties, muzzled the press and murdered political opponents, under the constitution, Zogu was vested with sweeping executive and legislative powers, including the right to appoint one-third of the upper house. For all intents and purposes, he held all governing power in the nation, on 1 September 1928, Albania was transformed into a kingdom, and President Zogu became Zog I, King of the Albanians. He took as his name his surname rather than his forename. He also initially took the parallel name Skanderbeg III, but this fell out of use, on the same day as he was declared king, he was declared Field Marshal of the Royal Albanian Army
19.
Albanian parliamentary election, 1945
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Parliamentary elections for a Constituent Assembly were held in Albania on 2 December 1945. The Democratic Front, organized and led by the Communist Party of Albania, during the National Liberation War the Communist Party was the only consistent anti-fascist political and military force. By the end of the war both organizations had been defeated, hoxha responded to these criticisms by saying, The people organized in the Democratic Front, present their own candidates to the Assembly in the lists of the Front. If those who are outside the Front desire to be elected, the draft law recognizes them this right and, indeed, will defend it. Kokoshi replied that independent candidates are doomed to failure, because these elements are not organized in political parties, on the other hand, the men of the state power are all in the Front, thus no guarantees are given that other candidates will be elected. The people are with the Front, if there are some who want to organize themselves outside the Front, let them try, but they will run up against the strength of the Front and will lose. There is nothing we can do about this, the Front presented its own list during the election in opposition to some separate candidates who represented the bourgeois circles, but failed completely from lack of support among the people. The Palm Beach Post noted that there were eighteen such candidates, american and British diplomatic observers concluded that the election had been fairly conducted and reflected the popularity of the Democratic Front. This opinion was shared by foreign press correspondents who had visited the country to observe the elections. The representatives elected were, with few exceptions, members of the Communist Party, the Constituent Assembly was first convened on 10 January 1946
20.
History of Albania
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The History of Albania emerges from the pre-history of the Balkan states from the 4th century BC, with early records of Illyria in Greco-Roman historiography. The modern territory of Albania had no counterpart in the political divisions of classical antiquity. Rather, its boundaries correspond to parts of the ancient Roman provinces of Dalmatia, Macedonia. The territory remained under Roman and Byzantine control until the Slavic migrations of the 7th century and it was integrated into the Bulgarian Empire in the 9th century. The territorial nucleus of the Albanian state was formed in the Middle Ages as the Principality of Arbër, the area was part of the Serbian Empire, but passed to the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. The formation of an Albanian national consciousness dates to the later 19th century and is part of the phenomenon of the rise of nationalism under the Ottoman Empire. A short-lived monarchical state known as the Principality of Albania was succeeded by an even shorter-lived first Albanian Republic, another monarchy, the Kingdom of Albania, replaced the republic. The country endured an occupation by Italy just prior to World War II, after the collapse of the Axis powers, Albania became a communist state, the Socialist Peoples Republic of Albania, which for most of its duration was dominated by Enver Hoxha. Hoxhas political heir Ramiz Alia oversaw the disintegration of the Hoxhaist state during the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in the later 1980s. The communist regime collapsed in 1990, and the former communist Party of Labour of Albania was routed in elections in March 1992, amid economic collapse and social unrest. The unstable economic situation led to an Albanian diaspora, mostly to Italy, Greece, Switzerland, Germany, the crisis peaked in the Albanian Turmoil of 1997. An amelioration of the economic and political conditions in the years of the 21st century enabled Albania to become a full member of NATO in 2009. The country is applying to join the European Union, the first traces of human presence in Albania, dating to the Middle Paleolithic and Upper Paleolithic eras, were found in the village of Xarrë, near Sarandë and Mount Dajt near Tiranë. The Paleolithic finds of Albania show great similarities with objects of the same era found at Crvena Stijena in Montenegro, several Bronze Age artefacts from tumulus burials have been unearthed in central and southern Albania that show close connection with sites in south-western Macedonia and Lefkada, Greece. 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, a part of this population later moved to Mycenae around 1600 BC and founded the Mycenaean civilisation there. Another population group, the Illirii, probably the southernmost Illyrian tribe of that time lived on the border of Albania and Montenegro. The latter derived from early an Indo-European presence in the western Balkan Peninsula, the movement of the Illyrian tribes can be assumed to coincide with the beginning Iron Age in the Balkans during the early 1st millennium BC. Archaeologists associate the Illyrians with the Hallstatt culture, an Iron Age people noted for production of iron, bronze swords with winged-shaped handles, the Illyrians were a group of tribes who inhabited the Western Balkans during classical antiquity
21.
Council of Ministers (Albania)
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The Cabinet of Albania, also known as Council of Ministers is the executive branch of Albania. The Chairman of the Council is appointed by the President, ministers are nominated by the President on the basis of the Prime Ministers recommendation, the Assembly of Albania must give final approval of the composition of the Council. The Council is responsible for carrying out foreign and domestic policies. It directs and controls the activities of the ministries and other state bodies, as of April 2017, after a reshuffle, 50% of the cabinet ministers are females. The Council is responsible to the Parliament of Albania, the Parliament may choose to pass a motion of censure forcing the Council of Ministers to resign. This has the effect of forcing the Government to be composed of members from the majority party in the Assembly or to be allied to the majority in a coalition. Ministers are required to answer written or oral questions put to them by members of Parliament, in addition, ministers attend sessions of the Parliament when laws concerning their assigned sectors and departmental portfolios are under consideration. Cabinet ministers cannot propose legislation without parliamentary approval, Ministers can however propose bills to Parliament and any such legislation is generally very likely to pass. On occasion, the majority opinion in Parliament may differ significantly from those of the executive, the Cabinet plays a major role in determining the agenda of the Parliament. It can propose laws and amendments during parliamentary sessions and it also has a number of procedures at its disposal to expedite parliamentary deliberations. List of Prime Ministers of Albania
22.
Independent Albania
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Its assembly was constituted on the same day while its government and senate were established on 4 December 1912. The delegation of Albania submitted a memorandum to the London Conference of 1913 requesting the recognition of independent Albania. At the beginning of the conference it was decided that the region of Albania would be under Ottoman suzerainty, the ambassadors of six Great Powers met again on 29 July 1913 and decided to constitute a new state, the Principality of Albania, as a constitutional monarchy. Finally, with the Treaty of Bucharest being signed in August 1913, the name of the state used in the text of declaration of independence of Albania is Shqipëria. It is also referred to as the independent Albania, the Albanian State or the independent state of Albania, the independent Albania established on 28 November 1912 is the first Albanian state in modern history. It was a state, not a monarchy. Some sources refer to it as the Republic of Albania or the Albanian Republic, the claimed territory was much larger than the territory of contemporary Albania and than the territory over which the Provisional Government exercised its power. It comprised the territories of Kosovo Vilayet, Monastir Vilayet, Shkoder Vilayet, Kosovo was returned to Serbias possession at the London treaty, at the insistence of Russia. Independent Albania did however exercise control over one pocket of land which included Vlore, Berat, Fier, until September 1912, the Ottoman government intentionally kept Albanians divided within four ethnically heterogeneous vilayets to prevent Albanian national unification. The reforms introduced by Young Turks provoked the Albanian Revolt of 1912 which lasted in the period from January to August 1912. In January 1912, Hasan Prishtina, Albanian deputy in Ottoman parliament, the revolt was successful and until August 1912 rebels managed to gain control over whole Kosovo vilayet, a part of the Scutari Vilayet, Konitsa in Janina Vilayet and Debar in Monastir Vilayet. The success of the Albanian revolt sent a signal to the neighboring countries that the Ottoman Empire was weak. Besides, the Kingdom of Serbia opposed the plan for an Albanian vilayet, in the meantime the conquered territory was agreed to have status of the Condominium. Albanian leaders, including Faik Konica and Fan Noli, organized a meeting on 7 October 1913 in Boston. They decided that Albanians should unite fully with the Ottoman government against enemies of the Empire because if Turkey is defeated, Albanians who were mobilized in Ottoman army fought for their country rather than for the Ottoman Empire. During the First Balkan War the combined armies of the Balkan allies overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies, and achieved rapid success. Ismail Qemali, who had been an Albanian deputy in the Ottoman parliament, secured the support of Austria-Hungary for autonomy of Albania within the Ottoman Empire, but not for the independence. Ismail Qemali invited the representatives of all parts of Albanian Vilayet to attend the All-Albanian Congress held in Vlorë on November 28,1912
23.
Principality of Albania
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Albania had been under Ottoman rule from around 1478. The Great Powers recognized the independence of Albania in the Treaty of London in May 1913, the Great Powers selected Prince William of Wied, a nephew of Queen Elisabeth of Romania to become the sovereign of the newly independent Albania. A formal offer was made by 18 Albanian delegates representing the 18 districts of Albania on February 21,1914, outside of Albania William was styled prince, but in Albania he was referred to as Mbret so as not to seem inferior to the King of Montenegro. Prince William arrived in Albania at his capital of Durrës on March 7,1914 along with the Royal family. The security of Albania was to be provided by an International Gendarmerie commanded by Dutch officers, William never renounced his claim to the throne. World War I interrupted all government activities in Albania, and the country was split into a number of regional governments, political chaos engulfed Albania after the outbreak of World War I. Surrounded by insurgents in Durrës, Prince William departed the country in September 1914, just six months after arriving, the Albanian people split along religious and tribal lines after the princes departure. Muslims demanded a Muslim prince and looked to Ottomon Empire as the protector of the privileges they had enjoyed, hence many beys and clan chiefs, in late October 1914, Greek forces entered Albania in the Protocol of Corfus recognized Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus. Italy occupied Vlorë, and Serbia and Montenegro occupied parts of northern Albania until a Central Powers offensive scattered the Serbian army, Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian forces then occupied about two-thirds of the country. Serbia and Montenegro were promised much of northern Albania, and Greece was promised much of the southern half. The treaty was to leave a tiny Albanian state that would be represented by Italy in its relations with the major powers. In September 1918, the Entente forces broke through the Central Powers lines north of Thessaloniki, Albanias political confusion continued in the wake of World War I. Italian forces controlled Albanian political activity in the areas they occupied, the Serbs, who largely dictated Yugoslavias foreign policy after World War I, strove to take over northern Albania, and the Greeks sought to control southern Albania. Serbian troops conducted actions in Albanian-populated border areas, while Albanian guerrillas operated in both Serbia and Montenegro, the deal was done behind the Albanians backs and in the absence of a United States negotiator. The Lushnjë National Assembly appointed a regency to rule the country. A bicameral parliament was created, in which an elected lower chamber, the Chamber of Deputies, appointed members of its own ranks to an upper chamber. In February 1920, the government moved to Tirana, which became Albanias capital, one month later, in March 1920, U. S. President Woodrow Wilson intervened to block the Paris agreement. The countrys borders, however, remained unsettled, Albanias new government campaigned to end Italys occupation of the country and encouraged peasants to harass Italian forces
24.
Albanian Republic
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The Albanian Republic was the official name of Albania as enshrined in the Constitution of 1925. Albania became a de facto protectorate of the Kingdom of Italy after the signing of the Treaties of Tirana of 1926 and 1927, Albania was declared a constitutional monarchy in 1928. Upon its inception, Italy demanded to be allies with the republic and this was done largely to increase Italys influence in the Balkans, and to aid Italian and Albanian security in their territorial feuds with Greece and Yugoslavia. After defeating Fan Nolis government, Ahmet Zogu recalled parliament in order to find a solution for the principality of Albania. The new constitution provided for a republic, with a powerful president serving as head of state. On January 31,1925, Zogu was elected president for a term of seven years by the National Assembly and he ruled Albania using four military governors, and appointed clan chieftains as reserve army officers who were kept on call to protect the regime against domestic or foreign threats. He also maintained relations with Benito Mussolinis fascist regime in Italy. The Zog regime was said to be responsible for the disappearance of opposition parties, the press was also strictly censored during the regime. In early 1925, a series of focused on the economy were initiated. Some of the reforms included organizing private initiatives in industry, construction and that same year, the first Albanian coin, the Albanian Gold Franga, was minted. Foreign capital was introduced as a part of the policy of the government of Zog I, but the aim of his regime was actually to strengthen personal power. The foreign capital, loans and other forms, was used as a tool to provide income for the regime, and was later used for overcoming economic crises. Fourteen new societies were created at about time, with an initial capital of 7.6 million gold francs. In 1928, the number of enterprises reached 127, and domestic capital was six times greater than in 1927, in 1925, the Albanian National Bank was created, and was awarded concessions to Italian investors. The Albanian state had a 49% share of the bank, while Italy had a 51% share, under these conditions Italy gained a stronger position in Albania. During the 1925-1928 period, the Albanian government also increased its costs. In 1925, the SVEA society was established, helping to facilitate a loan to Albania worth 50 million gold francs, in 1927, the loan was estimated at 65 million gold francs. Annual interest for this 40-year loan was 7. 5%, repayment amounts consisted of 30%-40% of the entire countrys income
25.
Albania
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Albania, officially the Republic of Albania, is a country in Southeastern Europe. It has a population of 3.03 million as of 2016, Tirana is the nations capital and largest city, followed by Durrës and Vlorë. The country has a coastline on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic Sea to the west. Albania is less than 72 km from Italy, across the Strait of Otranto which connects the Adriatic Sea to the Ionian Sea. In antiquity, the area of Albania was home to several Illyrian, Thracian. After the Illyrian Wars, it part of the Roman provinces of Dalmatia, Macedonia and Moesia Superior. In 1190, the first Albanian state, the Principality of Arbanon was established by archon Progon in the region of Krujë, the territory of Albania was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century, of which it remained part of for the next five centuries. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in Europe, following the Balkan Wars, the Kingdom of Albania was invaded by Italy in 1939, which formed Greater Albania, before becoming a Nazi German protectorate in 1943. The following year, a socialist Peoples Republic was established under the leadership of Enver Hoxha, Albania experienced widespread social and political transformations in the communist era, as well as isolation from much of the international community. In 1991, the Socialist Republic was dissolved and the Republic of Albania was established, Albania is a democratic and developing country with an upper-middle income economy. The service sector dominates the economy, followed by the industrial. After the fall of communism in Albania, Free-market reforms have opened the country to foreign investment, especially in the development of energy, Albania has a high HDI and provides universal health care system and free primary and secondary education to its citizens. Albania is a member of the United Nations, NATO, WTO, World Bank, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and it is also an official candidate for membership in the European Union. Albania is one of the members of the Energy Community, Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. It is home to the largest lake in Southern Europe and one of the oldest lakes in Europe, Albania is the Medieval Latin name of the country. The name may have a continuation in the name of a settlement called Albanon and Arbanon. During the Middle Ages, the Albanians called their country Arbëri or Arbëni, Albanians today call their country Shqipëri. As early as the 17th century the placename Shqipëria and the ethnic demonym Shqiptarë gradually replaced Arbëria, the two terms are popularly interpreted as Land of the Eagles and Children of the Eagles
26.
President of Albania
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The President of the Republic of Albania is the head of state of the Republic of Albania. The President is indirectly elected by the Assembly of Albania, the first President of Albanian Republic was Ahmet Zogu. The first President of the Republic of Albania was Ramiz Alia, the current President is Bujar Nishani, since 24 July 2012. Throughout all this period the function of the President of Republic, the very first government headed by Ismail Qemali who also enjoyed the competences of the head of State was created in 1912. On February 6,1914, Prince Wilhelm Wied was appointed as Head of State by the Ambassadors’ Conference, in 1924, Fan Noli was elected as head of government while exercising at the same time the functions of the head of State. After the frequent changes in governance, the National Assembly approved and passed the republican form of regime on January 25,1925, Albania was proclaimed a Monarchy and Ahmet Zogu was crowned the King of Albanians on September 28,1928. After Albania was occupied by Italy in April 1939 and the unification of the two countries, Victor Emmanuel III became the King of Albania, from 1943-1944 the regencies’ governance was introduced once again under the German occupation. The Presidential Council, headed by Ramiz Alia was founded on February 22,1991, there are four living former Albanian Presidents, An indirect presidential election was held in Albania on 30 May,4,8 and 11 June 2012. The first through third rounds of voting were inconclusive, the fourth round resulted in the incumbent partys member Bujar Nishani being elected as president
27.
Deputy Prime Minister of Albania
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The Deputy Prime Ministers of Albania is the deputy head of government of the Republic of Albania. The Deputy Prime Minister is second senior minister of cabinet in the branch of government in a parliamentary system. Executive power rests with the Council of Ministers, the Chairman of the Council is appointed by the President, ministers are nominated by the President on the basis of the Prime Ministers recommendation. The Peoples Assembly must give approval of the composition of the Council. The Council is responsible for carrying out foreign and domestic policies. It directs and controls the activities of the ministries and other state organs, the first Deputy Prime Minister of Albania was Dom Nikollë Kaçorri. The current Deputy Prime Minister is Niko Peleshi, since 15 September 2013
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Communist Albania (1944-1991) 
Republic of Albania (1991–present)