Albania (with new Postscript): From Anarchy to Balkan Identity

by Miranda Vickers, James Pettifer

WITH A NEW POSTSCRIPT
Situated between Greece on the south, the former Yugoslavia on the north and east, and the Adriatic Sea on the west, Albania is the country the world forgot.
Throughout this century, Albania has been perceived as primitive and isolationist by its neighbors to the west. When the country ended fifty years of communist rule in 1992, few outsiders took interest. Deemed unworthy of membership in the European Union and overlooked by multinational corporations, Albania stands today as one of the poorest and most ignored countries in Europe.
Miranda Vickers and James Pettifer take us behind the veil of former President Enver Hoxha's isolationist policies to examine the historic events leading up to Albania's transition to a parliamentary government. Beginning with Hoxha's death in 1985, Albania traces the last decade of Albania's shaky existence, from the anarchy and chaos of the early nineties to the victory of the Democratic Alliance in 1992 and the programs of the current government. The authors provide us with an analysis of how the moral, religious, economic, political and cultural identity of the Albanian people is being redefined, and leave no question that the future of Albania is inextricably linked to the future of the Balkans as a whole. In short, they tell us why Albania matters.

Genres: History

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[Tucker Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very comprehensive take on events in Albania from just before the fall of the Hoxhaist regime until just after the 1996 elections. Just under 300 pages (excluding notes and appendices), the book manages to cover just about every noteworthy event in Albania during that time period. Because it was written in medias res, the book lacks the opportunity to reflect on some of the broader trends in this time period, but this is no fault of the authors.

[Bob Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Albania slowly emerges from the Communist dead-end

A combination of a guide book writer and an independent scholar manage to cover a great deal of Albania’s history since the overthrow of Communism in 1991. I’ve been interested in Albania since I was a kid, but I realize that not everyone out there is. Several other books have been written about events in Albania in the 1990s—the chaotic collapse of the economy and near anarchy that ensued, the return of the Communist party in a new disguise, an undemocratic leader of the Democracy Party, the pyramid schemes and their collapse leading to the looting of armories and the breakdown of order, and then the violence that erupted in neighboring Kosovo, where 90% or more of the people were Albanians who, after Yugoslavia broke up, refused to accept Serbian control any longer. How Albania survived all this might have been a miracle, but the country did. The economy grew slowly though the industrialization attempted by Hoxha’s long-lasting dictatorship more or less collapsed.
So, getting down to the heart of the matter, why should you read this particular book? Well, if you have never read anything about modern Albania, it could be a good place to start. It’s not as up to date as Fred Abrahams’ book MODERN ALBANIA—it concludes in 1996—but the Kosovo crisis was already building up as well as a lesser one in neighboring Macedonia. Back when Albania was first established as a modern nation around WWI, the Serbs/Yugoslavs demanded and were granted a large section of Albanian-majority territory that became Kosovo. What was the situation in the 90s? The authors describe the question of unity very well.
Albania found itself with some religious problems. The dictatorship had declared the world’s first atheist state, but after 1991, religion began to return. That meant Islam, Orthodox Christianity and Roman Catholicism all began to stir. Foreign parties supporting one or the other religion entered the scene. You’ll find a very interesting chapter on that. Then, there was the problem of the Greeks living in the south of the country, the only significant ethnic minority who of course made their claims. International relations, economic and military affairs are also taken into consideration. I would say then that the present book gives a wider look while the authors’ THE ALBANIAN QUESTION covered the crisis of the 90s in a very detailed way. If I had to choose between the two, I’d definitely choose this one.

The book covers a wider area than Abrahams’ book though inevitably there is overlap. It is another example of a book presenting a blow-by-blow of the process of change that occurred in a small country when the previous regime tottered and fell with not a lot ready to take its place, but this time with more background.

[Will Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being partially Albanian, this just feels right as my first ever review. This book focuses on Albanian history from 1990-1997, where Albania transitioned from communism to a struggling democracy. I was honestly looking for something that covered the entire 20th century instead of just the 90s. But still a great read.

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent summary of Albania's transitory decade, but lacking in policy detail. There's not much analysis here, just an overview of events.

[Chris Annear · Rating 3 out of 5]

This a a good reference book for the novice (=me) wanting to know more about Albania. Pretty much straight political science; outside of a political history of the 'great men' of Albania, few individuals are recognizable. These two authors have another, more recent book (2007) that deals with Albanian geo-politics from 1997 to the present.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes dense and bland, but provides a fair overview of Albania's development and politics in the years following the end of Hoxha's communist regime. The text is marred by an unfortunate number of copyediting errors, but is a fantastic resource for anyone seeking a better understanding of recent Albanian history.