Albania » History

Albania's history has been a difficult one. The country was repeatedly trampled by invaders, later on it suffered from political and economic mismanagements.  Albania is still trying to cope with the effects of its past history and trying to emerge from the dark shadows of the past. Albania survived a brutal past but it stands undefeated, all set to face whatever the future holds for it with a strong determination to take the country forward. It is a difficult process with many challenges but things seem to be improving.

Albanians are the most ancient race in southeastern Europe; the territories of Albania have been inhabited as early back as 100,000 years ago. The Illyrians, who are believed to have evolved directly from the Stone Age, occupied the western area of the Balkans. The Illyrians were sociable people, much like Albanians today. Influenced by the neighboring more advanced Greeks the Illyrians began to evolve politically and economically. But this was not to last long as it faced continuous foreign attacks.

Seeing Albania as a valuable entrance to the Adriatic Sea, Rome attacked it and ruled for six centuries. The Illyrians resisted the strong influence of art and culture which was flourishing at that time, keeping a strong hold on their own language and traditions. After the fall of Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire assumed control. Under the rule of the Byzantines, the Illyrians suffered constant devastation by raids from the Visigoths, Huns and Ostrogoths. The Illyrians however did not let their language die.

The Illyrians lacked the unity of a name so geographer Ptolemy of the Albanoi tribe came up with the name of his tribe. Thus the name Shqiperia(Albania in the native language) was created, meaning the land of eagles.  During the Middle Ages Albania developed at a very fast pace, its economy and trade industry prospered. Albanian merchants had agencies in other countries.

Albania had to face tough time again when the ruling Byzantine Empire weakened and was attacked by more foreign powers. The Bulgarians, Norman crusaders, Serbs and Venetians all wreaked havoc on the Albanians until the conquest by the Ottoman Turks in 1388. During the period Turks ruled Albanians saw a lot of violence and oppression. The turning point came when in 1443, an Albanian military genius, Gjergj Kastrioti(Skanderberg), rallied the Albanians together and drove out the Turks.  A statue of Skanderberg stands at the back of Skanderberg Square in Albania's capital, Tirana, today.

 The re-emergence of the Turks during the Renaissance period had a negative impact on Albania's growth as Albania was excluded from the exchanges with Western Europe during the time. As a result all sectors like art, economy and culture suffered forcing the Albanians to leave their native land.  Albanian rebelled by refusing to pay taxes, surrender their arms or serve in the army. The Turks tried to convert the Christian population to Muslim, some people converted out of fear other resisted. The drive for independence was strong among the Albanians and throughout the 19th Century they resisted the Turks attempts at assimilation. The leaders formed the Albanian League in 1878 to unite the country and develop the native language, literature, education  In 1908, the Albanians fought again, and by 1912, they succeeded in making the Turks agree to their demands for autonomy.

With their independence and with the rise of the communist People's Republic of Albania faced new problems. Enver Hoxha became ruler of the party. Hoxha did not believe in freedom of expression or thought. The principle of self-reliance applied by the Communist did not allow foreign loans, credits and investment. For about 50 years, the regime applied the policy of self-isolation, leaving the country in great economic poverty as the influence of foreign technology and advancements were kept away from Albania's workers. By the time Hoxha died in 1976, Albania relied only on manual labor and its own resources. After Hoxha's death people wanted change, but it wasn't until the early 1990s that real change came about. On February 20, 1991, rioters toppled the statue Hoxha had erected of himself in Tirana.

From 1991 until 1997 The Democratic Party led the country. The victory of Democratic Party in December of 1992, gave Albania new hope. It was a time when priests jailed for their views were released, religion was legalized, and the country was free. In 1992, Sali Berisha was elected president, promising social, economic and democratic reform. Reforms were gradually adopted but corruption and pyramid schemes brought the economy and the government down in 1997. The failure of pyramidal schemes left people bankrupt, disappointed, and angry. Armed revolts broke out.

After the unrests of 1997, the Socialist Party with its coalition ruled until 2005. In the 2005 general elections, the Democratic Party and its allies won a decisive victory on pledges of reducing crime and corruption, promoting economic growth. The fair elections, and the orderly transition of power, were considered an important step forward.

Albania is still one of the poorest in Europe and has a long way to go but it's economy is growing now. Informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure are the main hunrdles towards its development. Albania has played a helpful role in managing inter-ethnic tensions in southeastern Europe, and is continuing to work toward joining NATO and the EU. Albania has been a strong supporter of the global war on terrorism and has troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Throughout Albania’s history it has been sieged and occupied by other countries. It has endured many civil wars within its turf. Thus, Albania’s people tend to be resilient and strong.