Fall of communism in Albania

The fall of communism in Albania was an important moment in history, sometimes called "De-Enverization." It was the last time communism ended in Europe outside the Soviet Union. It began in December 1990 with students protesting in the capital city, Tirana. But protests had already started earlier that year in places like Shkodër and Kavajë.

The leaders of the communist Party of Labour of Albania decided to allow other political parties on December 11. The next day, the largest group opposing the communists, called the Democratic Party, was created. In elections held in March 1991, the Party of Labour stayed in control. But because many people were unhappy, a new government was formed that included people who were not communists.

By March 1992, the communist party was no longer popular. This was because the country was facing big economic problems and many people were upset. In new elections, the Democratic Party won most of the seats, and their leader, Sali Berisha, became the president of Albania.

Background

Enver Hoxha, who led Albania for many years, passed away in 1985. Ramiz Alia took over and began to make changes, such as allowing more freedom to travel abroad and building relationships with Western European countries.

When big changes happened in other places, like the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, many people in Albania didn’t know because their government controlled the news. In 1990, protests began in cities like Shkodra and spread. The government started to make some changes to avoid more trouble. In December 1990, the ruling party agreed to let other parties exist, leading to elections in March 1991. Although the communist party won at first, protests and strikes later led to new leaders taking over.

Post-communist government

Main article: History of Post-Communist Albania

When Albania moved from communism to a system with more freedom and private businesses, it faced many difficulties. The new government tried to make changes, but people were not happy because things did not improve as fast as they hoped. Some leaders became powerful and did not listen to others, which made people unhappy.

In 1997, big problems happened because of unfair money plans and honesty issues, leading to protests across the country. The government tried to control the situation, but it was hard because many people in charge were not working well together. With help from other countries, leaders from different sides agreed to work together in a new government and hold new elections.

The group that used to be the communist party came back to power and led the country until 2005. Then, another party took over and led until 2013, when the original group returned to power. Albania worked to become closer to countries in Europe and joined important groups like NATO in 2009 and started talking about joining the European Union in 2022.