Enver Hoxha ( , ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist revolutionary and statesman who served as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania, from 1941 until his death in 1985.
He served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Albania from 1944 to 1954 and at various times served as foreign minister and defence minister of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania as well. Born in Gjirokastër in 1908, Hoxha became a grammar school teacher in 1936.
As First Secretary, Hoxha was de facto head of state and the most powerful man in the country. Albanians celebrate their independence day on 28 November (which is the date on which they declared their independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912), while in the former People's Socialist Republic of Albania the national day was 29 November, the day the country was liberated from the Italians.
In 1916 his father brought him to seek the blessing of Baba Selim of the Zall Teqe. After elementary school, he followed his studies in the city senior high school "Liria".
He started his studies at the Gjirokastër Lyceum in 1923.
After the lyceum was closed, due to intervention of Eqrem Libohova Hoxha was awarded a state scholarship for the continuation of his studies in Korçë, at the French language Albanian National Lyceum until 1930. In 1930, Hoxha went to study at the University of Montpellier in France on a state scholarship for the faculty of natural science, but lost an Albanian state scholarship for neglecting his studies.
He later went to Paris, where he presented himself to anti-Zogist immigrants as the brother-in-law of Bahri Omari. From 1935 to 1936, he was employed as a secretary at the Albanian consulate in Brussels.
He served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Albania from 1944 to 1954 and at various times served as foreign minister and defence minister of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania as well. Born in Gjirokastër in 1908, Hoxha became a grammar school teacher in 1936.
He later went to Paris, where he presented himself to anti-Zogist immigrants as the brother-in-law of Bahri Omari. From 1935 to 1936, he was employed as a secretary at the Albanian consulate in Brussels.
Hoxha taught French and morals in the Korça Liceum from 1937 to 1939 and also served as the caretaker of the school library. On 7 April 1939, Albania was invaded by Fascist Italy.
In 1938 the number of physicians was 1.1 per 10,000 and there was only one hospital bed per 1,000 people.
Hoxha taught French and morals in the Korça Liceum from 1937 to 1939 and also served as the caretaker of the school library. On 7 April 1939, Albania was invaded by Fascist Italy.
At the end of 1939, he was transferred to the Gjirokastra Gymnasium, but he soon returned to Tirana.
Illiteracy, which was 90–95% in rural areas in 1939, fell to 30% by 1950, and by 1985 it was equal to that of a Western country. The State University of Tirana was established in 1957, which was the first of its kind in Albania.
Enver Hoxha ( , ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist revolutionary and statesman who served as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania, from 1941 until his death in 1985.
Following Italy's invasion of Albania, he joined the Party of Labour of Albania at its creation in 1941.
He was a sympathiser of Korça's Communist Group. ==Partisan life== On 8 November 1941, the Communist Party of Albania (later renamed the Party of Labour of Albania in 1948) was founded.
The First Consultative Meeting of Activists of the Communist Party of Albania was held in Tirana from 8 to 11 April 1942, with Hoxha himself delivering the main report on 8 April 1942. In July 1942, Hoxha wrote "Call to the Albanian Peasantry", issued in the name of the Communist Party of Albania.
After the September 1942 Conference at Pezë, the National Liberation Movement was founded with the purpose of uniting the anti-fascist Albanians, regardless of ideology or class. By March 1943, the first National Conference of the Communist Party elected Hoxha formally as First Secretary.
Hoxha was elected First Secretary in March 1943 at the age of 34.
After the September 1942 Conference at Pezë, the National Liberation Movement was founded with the purpose of uniting the anti-fascist Albanians, regardless of ideology or class. By March 1943, the first National Conference of the Communist Party elected Hoxha formally as First Secretary.
On 10 July 1943, the Albanian partisans were organised in regular units of companies, battalions and brigades and named the Albanian National Liberation Army.
In August 1943, a secret meeting, the Mukje Conference, was held between the anti-communist Balli Kombëtar (National Front) and the Communist Party of Albania.
He was also a member of the Politburo of the Party of Labour of Albania, chairman of the Democratic Front of Albania, commander-in-chief of the armed forces from 1944 until his death.
He served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Albania from 1944 to 1954 and at various times served as foreign minister and defence minister of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania as well. Born in Gjirokastër in 1908, Hoxha became a grammar school teacher in 1936.
On 22 October 1944, the Committee became the Democratic Government of Albania after a meeting in Berat and Hoxha was chosen as interim Prime Minister.
Tribunals were set up to try alleged war criminals who were designated "enemies of the people" and were presided over by Koçi Xoxe. After liberation on 29 November 1944, several Albanian partisan divisions crossed the border into German-occupied Yugoslavia, where they fought alongside Tito's partisans and the Soviet Red Army in a joint campaign which succeeded in driving out the last pockets of German resistance.
The roots of the change began on 20 October 1944 at the Second Plenary Session of the Communist Party of Albania.
The Democratic Front, dominated by the Albanian Communist Party, succeeded the National Liberation Front in August 1945, and the first post-war election was held on 2 December that year.
Both days are currently national holidays. == Early leadership (1946–1965) == Hoxha declared himself a Marxist–Leninist and strongly admired Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. During the period of 1945–1950, the government adopted policies and actions intended to consolidate power which included extrajudicial killings and executions that targeted and eliminated anti-communists. The Agrarian Reform Law was passed in August 1945.
The Front was the only legal political organisation allowed to stand in the elections, and the government reported that 93% of Albanians voted for it. On 11 January 1946, Zog was officially deposed and Albania was proclaimed the People's Republic of Albania (renamed the People's Socialist Republic of Albania in 1976).
Hoxha alleged that Tito had made it his goal to get Albania into Yugoslavia, firstly by creating the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Aid in 1946.
In reality, their aim in this direction was utterly hostile, for they intended to overturn the situation in Albania." By June 1947, the Central Committee of Yugoslavia began publicly condemning Hoxha, accusing him of taking an individualistic and anti-Marxist line.
He was a sympathiser of Korça's Communist Group. ==Partisan life== On 8 November 1941, the Communist Party of Albania (later renamed the Party of Labour of Albania in 1948) was founded.
With no one coming to Spiru's defense, he viewed the situation as hopeless and feared that Yugoslav domination of his nation was imminent, which caused him to commit suicide in November. At the Eighth Plenum of the Central Committee of the Party which lasted from 26 February to 8 March 1948, Xoxe was implicated in a plot to isolate Hoxha and consolidate his own power.
Then, on 1 July 1948, Tirana called on all Yugoslav technical advisors to leave the country and unilaterally declared all treaties and agreements between the two countries null and void.
From 1948 to 1960, $200 million in Soviet aid was given to Albania for technical and infrastructural expansion.
In 1950, while the number of physicians had not increased, there were four times as many hospital beds per head, and health expenditures had risen to 5% of the budget, up from 1% before the war. By 1949, the US and British intelligence organisations were working with King Zog and the mountain men of his personal guard.
Xoxe was expelled from the party and on 13 June 1949, he was executed by hanging. === Relations with the Soviet Union === After the break with Yugoslavia, Hoxha aligned himself with the Soviet Union, for which he had a great admiration.
Albania was admitted to the Comecon on 22 February 1949 and remained important both as a way to pressure Yugoslavia and to serve as a pro-Soviet force in the Adriatic Sea.
Illiteracy, which was 90–95% in rural areas in 1939, fell to 30% by 1950, and by 1985 it was equal to that of a Western country. The State University of Tirana was established in 1957, which was the first of its kind in Albania.
In 1950, while the number of physicians had not increased, there were four times as many hospital beds per head, and health expenditures had risen to 5% of the budget, up from 1% before the war. By 1949, the US and British intelligence organisations were working with King Zog and the mountain men of his personal guard.
Guerrilla units entered Albania in 1950 and 1952, but they were killed or captured by Albanian security forces.
Guerrilla units entered Albania in 1950 and 1952, but they were killed or captured by Albanian security forces.
Relations remained close until the death of Stalin on 5 March 1953.
He served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Albania from 1944 to 1954 and at various times served as foreign minister and defence minister of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania as well. Born in Gjirokastër in 1908, Hoxha became a grammar school teacher in 1936.
However, this also meant that Albanian industrial development, which was stressed heavily by Hoxha, would have to be significantly reduced. From 16 May to 17 June 1955, Nikolai Bulganin and Anastas Mikoyan visited Yugoslavia and Khrushchev renounced the expulsion of Yugoslavia from the Communist bloc.
Relations with China improved, as evidenced by Chinese aid to Albania being 4.2% in 1955 before the visit, and rising to 21.6% in 1957. In an effort to keep Albania in the Soviet sphere, increased aid was given but the Albanian leadership continued to move closer towards China.
In 1956 at the Twentieth Party Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Khrushchev condemned the cult of personality that had been built up around Joseph Stalin and also denounced him for many grave mistakes.
The delegates "criticized the conditions in the party, the negative attitude toward the masses, the absence of party and socialist democracy, the economic policy of the leadership, etc." while also calling for discussions on the cult of personality and the Twentieth Party Congress. ==== Movement towards China and Maoism ==== In 1956, Hoxha called for a resolution which would uphold the current leadership of the Party.
Illiteracy, which was 90–95% in rural areas in 1939, fell to 30% by 1950, and by 1985 it was equal to that of a Western country. The State University of Tirana was established in 1957, which was the first of its kind in Albania.
Relations with China improved, as evidenced by Chinese aid to Albania being 4.2% in 1955 before the visit, and rising to 21.6% in 1957. In an effort to keep Albania in the Soviet sphere, increased aid was given but the Albanian leadership continued to move closer towards China.
From 1948 to 1960, $200 million in Soviet aid was given to Albania for technical and infrastructural expansion.
Relations with the Soviet Union remained at the same level until 1960, when Khrushchev met Sofoklis Venizelos, a liberal Greek politician.
In July 1960, a plot to overthrow the Albanian government was discovered.
From 1965 to 1985, no cases of malaria were reported, whereas previously Albania had the greatest number of infected patients in Europe.
After his break with Maoism in the 1976–1978 period, numerous Maoist parties around the world declared themselves Hoxhaist.
The Front was the only legal political organisation allowed to stand in the elections, and the government reported that 93% of Albanians voted for it. On 11 January 1946, Zog was officially deposed and Albania was proclaimed the People's Republic of Albania (renamed the People's Socialist Republic of Albania in 1976).
Enver Hoxha ( , ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist revolutionary and statesman who served as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania, from 1941 until his death in 1985.
Illiteracy, which was 90–95% in rural areas in 1939, fell to 30% by 1950, and by 1985 it was equal to that of a Western country. The State University of Tirana was established in 1957, which was the first of its kind in Albania.
From 1965 to 1985, no cases of malaria were reported, whereas previously Albania had the greatest number of infected patients in Europe.
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