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Albania
The Hoxha Regime
Hoxha was the most powerful leader in modern Albania, occupying
at times the posts of prime minister, minister of defense, and
commander in chief of the armed forces, while continuing to serve
as first secretary of the ACP. He was head of state from 1944
until 1985. His main rival in the initial period of his rule was
the minister of internal affairs and head of the dreaded secret
police, Koçi Xoxe. Xoxe was close to the Yugoslavs and was arrested
in 1948 as a Titoist (see Glossary) following Albania's break
with Yugoslavia. The next most influential political figure was
Mehmet Shehu, who became prime minister when Hoxha relinquished
this post in July 1954.
Hoxha's efforts to impose a rigid, repressive political and government
structure on Albania met with little active resistance until the
country's declining standard of living and poor economic performance
led to such dissatisfaction that unrest began to spread in 1965-66.
In response, the Hoxha government initiated the Cultural and Ideological
Revolution in February 1966, which was an attempt to reassert
communist party influence on all aspects of life and rekindle
revolutionary fervor. By 1973 demands for a relaxation of party
controls and for internal reforms were creating considerable pressure
on Hoxha. The pressure led him to launch a series of purges of
top cultural, military, and economic officials. In 1977, for example,
an alleged "Chinese conspiracy" was uncovered, which resulted
in the dismissal and arrest of several top military officials.
In keeping with its Stalinist practices, Albania's government
pursued a rigorously dogmatic line in domestic policy, instituting
highly centralized economic planning and rigid restrictions on
educational and cultural development. In 1976 a new constitution
was promulgated, the third such constitution since the communists
came to power. The 1976 Constitution, which changed the official
name of the country to the People's Socialist Republic of Albania,
was little different from the 1950 version. It paid lip service
to such institutions as the Supreme Court and the People's Assembly,
but it affirmed the primary role of the communist party, known
as the Albanian Party of Labor (APL) from 1948.
Whatever gains the Hoxha leadership achieved in socioeconomic
terms were diminished by the sharp repression in all areas of
life, and Hoxha's decision to keep Albania isolated retarded the
country's technological growth to such an extent that it became
economically inferior to all of its neighbors (see Economic Policy
and Performance, ch. 3).
The early 1980s were marked by further purges in the government
and party in preparation for the impending succession to Hoxha,
who was in ill health. Although Prime Minister Shehu had been
regarded as the second most powerful leader, especially because
he had significant support in the police and military, Hoxha decided
against naming him as his successor. Instead, Hoxha began a campaign
against him, which culminated in Shehu's alleged suicide in December
1981. Hoxha then proceeded to arrest all of Shehu's family and
supporters.
Data as of April 1992
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