Enver-Hoxha: The Iron Fist of Albania

Description

Stalinism, that particularly brutal phase of the Communist experience, came to an end in most of Europe with the death of Stalin in 1953. However, in one country - Albania - Stalinism survived virtually unscathed until 1990. The regime that the Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha led from 1944 until his death in 1985 was incomparably severe. Such was the reign of terror that no audible voice of opposition or dissent ever arose in the Balkan state and Albania became isolated from the rest of the world and utterly inward-looking. Three decades after his death, the spectre of Hoxha still lingers over the country, yet many people - inside and outside Albania - know little about the man who ruled the country with an iron fist for so many decades. This book provides the first biography of Hoxha available in English. Using unseen documents and first-hand interviews, journalist Blendi Fevziu pieces together the life of a tyrannical ruler in a biography which will be essential reading for anyone interested in Balkan history and communist studies. List of Illustrations Foreword List of Abbreviations 1. Death Comes Knocking 2. 28 November 1944 3. From Gjirokastra to Korça 4. From France to Belgium: The Dropout 5. Teacher of Moral Education 6. The Founding of the Communist Party 7. A Leader with an Iron Fist 8. Nationalists and Communists 9. Head of the Provisional Government 10. The Plenary Meeting in Berat – An Interlude 11. Tirana and the Wedding 12. A Reign of Terror 13. Departure of the British and the Americans 14. The Yugoslavs: A Matter of Love and Hate 15. Stalin and the Soviets 16. The Bllok 17. Enver Hoxha and Mother Teresa 18. Split Personality 19. The Medical Team 20. The Great Purges 21. Demise of a Prime Minister 22. The Final Purges 23. The Years of Solitude 24. Death and What Remained Chronology of the Life of Enver Hoxha Glossary of Key Figures Notes Bibliography Index Plates