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Albania
Italian Penetration
Belgrade, in return for aiding Zogu's invasion, expected repayment
in the form of territory and influence in Tiranė. It is certain
that Zogu promised Belgrade frontier concessions before the invasion,
but once in power the Albanian leader continued to press Albania's
own territorial claims. On July 30, 1925, the two nations signed
an agreement returning the town of Saint Naum on Lake Ohrid and
other disputed borderlands to Yugoslavia. The larger country,
however, never reaped the dividends it hoped for when it invested
in Zogu. He shunned Belgrade and turned Albania toward Italy for
protection.
Advocates of territorial expansion in Italy gathered strength
in October 1922 when Benito Mussolini took power in Rome. His
fascist supporters undertook an unabashed program aimed at establishing
a new Roman empire in the Mediterranean region that would rival
Britain and France. Mussolini saw Albania as a foothold in the
Balkans, and after the war the Great Powers in effect recognized
an Italian protectorate over Albania.
In May 1925, Italy began a penetration into Albania's national
life that would culminate fourteen years later in its occupation
and annexation of Albania. The first major step was an agreement
between Rome and Tiranė that allowed Italy to exploit Albania's
mineral resources. Soon Albania's parliament agreed to allow the
Italians to found the Albanian National Bank, which acted as the
Albanian treasury even though its main office was in Rome and
Italian banks effectively controlled it. The Albanians also awarded
Italian shipping companies a monopoly on freight and passenger
transport to and from Albania.
In late 1925, the Italian-backed Society for the Economic Development
of Albania began to lend the Albanian government funds at high
interest rates for transportation, agriculture, and public-works
projects, including Zogu's palace. In the end, the loans turned
out to be subsidies.
In mid-1926 Italy set to work to extend its political influence
in Albania, asking Tiranė to recognize Rome's special interest
in Albania and accept Italian instructors in the army and police.
Zogu resisted until an uprising in the northern mountains pressured
the Albanian leader to conclude the First Treaty of Tiranė with
the Italians in November 1926. In the treaty, both states agreed
not to conclude any agreements with any other states prejudicial
to their mutual interests. The agreement, in effect, guaranteed
Zogu's political position in Albania as well as the country's
boundaries. In November 1927, Albania and Italy entered into a
defensive alliance, the Second Treaty of Tiranė, which brought
an Italian general and about forty officers to train the Albanian
army. Italian military experts soon began instructing paramilitary
youth groups. Tiranė also allowed the Italian navy access to the
port of Vlorė, and the Albanians received large deliveries of
armaments from Italy.
Data as of April 1992
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