People's Socialist Republic of Albania

People's Republic of Albania
(1946–1976)
Republika Popullore e Shqipërisë
People's Socialist Republic of Albania
(1976–1991)
Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë
Republic of Albania
(1991–1992)
Republika e Shqipërisë
1946–1992
Motto: Ti Shqipëri, më jep nder, më jep emrin Shqipëtar
"Albania, you give me honour, you give me the name Albanian"
Proletarë të të gjitha vendeve, bashkohuni!
"Proletarians of all countries, unite!"
Anthem: Himni i Flamurit
"Hymn to the Flag"
The People's Socialist Republic of Albania in 1989
The People's Socialist Republic of Albania in 1989
StatusMember of the Warsaw Pact (until 1968) and Comecon
Capital
and largest city
Tirana
Official languagesAlbanian
Religion
State atheism
Demonym(s)Albanian
Government
First Secretary 
• 1946–1985
Enver Hoxha
• 1985–1992
Ramiz Alia
Chairman of the Presidium of the People's Assembly 
• 1946–1953
Omer Nishani
• 1953–1982
Haxhi Lleshi
• 1982–1991
Ramiz Alia
Prime Minister 
• 1946–1954
Enver Hoxha
• 1954–1981
Mehmet Shehu
• 1981–1991
Adil Çarçani
LegislaturePeople's Assembly
Historical eraCold War
20 October 1944
• People's Republic formed
10 January 1946
1956–1961
28 December 1976
1972–1978
11 December 1990
31 March 1991
22 March 1992
HDI (1990)0.790[1]
high
CurrencyFranga (1946–1947)
Albanian lek (1947–1991)
Calling code+355
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Communist Albania
Albania
Today part ofAlbania

The People's Socialist Republic of Albania (Albanian: Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë), officially the People's Republic of Albania from 1946 until 1976, was the one-party communist state in Albania from 1946 to 1991. It succeeded the Democratic Government of Albania (1944–1946).

During this time period, the country was ruled mainly by Enver Hoxha and the Party of Labour of Albania. They ruled Albania by establishing a Stalinist, and later Hoxhaist, style of state administration and adhering to policies which stressed national unity and self-reliance.[2] Described by scholars as a totalitarian state,[3] travel and visa restrictions made Albania one of the most difficult countries to visit or travel from. Being Europe's only Muslim-majority country, it declared itself the world's first atheist state in 1967. But after the fall of communism in Albania in 1991, the practice of religion slowly increased.[4] It was the only Warsaw Pact member to formally withdraw from the alliance before 1990, an action which was occasioned by the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. The government implemented reforms which were aimed at modernizing Albania and they resulted in significant gains in the areas of industry, agriculture, education, the arts, and culture, which contributed to a general increase in the Albanian population's standard of living. However, these developments coincided with political repression by the secret police, the Sigurimi, for the purposes of preventing a counter-revolution, which included dismissal from employment, imprisonment in forced labor camps and executions.[5] However, other direct Albanian sources establish the number of approximately 6,000 executions, mostly carried out in the period of the civil war (1941-1944). [6]

The first multi-party elections in Socialist Albania took place on 31 March 1991 – the Communists gained a majority in an interim government. The Republic of Albania was proclaimed on 29 April 1991 and the country's first parliamentary elections were held on 22 March 1992.[citation needed] The People's Socialist Republic of Albania was officially dissolved on 28 November 1998 upon the adoption of the new Constitution of Albania.

  1. ^ Human Development Report 1990, p. 111
  2. ^ Kushtetuta e Republikës Popullore Socialiste të Shqipërisë: miratuar nga Kuvendi Popullor më 28. 12. 1976 [1]
  3. ^ Pajo, Matilda (September–December 2016). "Consequences of the Totalitarian Past on Albanian post-communist society" (PDF). Revistia. 3 (1): 138–141 – via European Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies.
  4. ^ Majeska, George P. (1976). "Religion and Atheism in the U.S.S.R. and Eastern Europe, Review". The Slavic and East European Journal. 20(2). pp. 204–206.
  5. ^ "Socialist Albania: The Stalinist state". Encyclopædia Britannica.
  6. ^ ""The truth about the 6000 people killed by communists in Albania"". 5 September 2017.