Albania

Situated in Southeastern Europe, Albania has a rich and varied past despite its small size. Because of its proximity to both the Adriatic and Ionian seas, it has served as a meeting place for cultures from all over the world. This article will trace Albania’s history from its earliest known era to the present day.

Ancient and prehistoric Albania
The Paleolithic period, around 100,000 years ago, is the earliest time period during which archaeological evidence suggests that Albania was inhabited. From the second millennium BCE until the advent of the Romans in the second century BCE, the Illyrian tribes were the oldest known occupants of the region. The western Balkans were home to a confederation of Indo-European tribes known as the Illyrians. They were renowned for their proficiency in agriculture, metallurgy, and the military.

Albania was a component of the Roman province of Illyricum. The city of Dyrrachium (present-day Durres) became an important commerce hub because the Romans constructed several cities and fortresses around the region. The Romans were also responsible for the spread of Christianity in Albania, which eventually became the state religion.

Early Modern Albania
When the Roman Empire collapsed, Albania joined the Byzantine one. Slavic tribes invaded the area in the 7th century, making it difficult for the Byzantines to keep order. Kingdom of Sicily, which covered much of southern Italy and parts of Albania, was created by Normans after they invaded Albania in the 11th century. In the 12th century, the Normans were kicked out of the region by the advancing Byzantine Empire.

After falling under the rule of the Serbian Empire in the late 13th century, the area was captured by the Ottoman Turks in the early 15th. For four centuries, the Ottoman Empire dominated Albania, leaving an indelible mark on the country’s history and culture.

Current-day Albania
In the late 19th century, academics and political leaders in Albania began clamoring for independence from the Ottoman Empire. Although Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, it was not recognized as an independent nation by most of Europe until after World War I.

During WWII, Italy and then Nazi Germany invaded Albania. In 1944, after a guerrilla battle against the occupiers, Albania was freed from foreign rule. Following the war, Enver Hoxha consolidated communist control over Albania and remained in power for nearly 40 years.

A new democratic administration was founded in Albania following the country’s first multiparty elections in 1991, following the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. Significant political and economic changes have been implemented in Albania since then, and the country has made strides toward its goal of joining the European Union.

As a result of its central location and the influence of the numerous cultures that have passed through the area, Albania has a long and varied history that is both rich and complicated. Through it all, from the Illyrians to the Ottomans to the communists to the present democratic government, Albania has maintained its pride and resilience.

Albania is a tiny country in southeastern Europe with a troubled past when it comes to racial and ethnic tensions. Despite the fact that most Albanians consider themselves to be part of the Albanian ethnic group, the history of the nation is marked by substantial tensions and wars between other communities. This article will examine the evolution of anti-racist activism in Albania, tracing the origins of racism there and examining its many historical manifestations.

Context from the Past

The Ottoman era in Albania, which spanned from the 15th century until the early 20th century, was a time of racial strife. During this historical period, Albania was a part of the Ottoman Empire, and the Ottomans saw the Albanian people as an ethnic minority. The Ottoman Empire, however, had a complicated caste and class structure, and the Albanians inside it were commonly viewed as being of a lesser rank than other tribes.

Albanians began to establish their national identity and demand more autonomy from the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when nationalist movements across Europe were gaining strength. As a result, Albanians and other communities inside the empire, such as the Greeks and the Serbs, who also aspired to express their national identities, came into serious conflict with one another.

Albania declared its independence in 1912, following the fall of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century. However, the country was still very divided along religious and ethnic lines. In the past, it was common for Muslims and Christians to live in different neighborhoods and seldom interact with one another. Many Albanians, rather than seeing themselves as part of one unified nation, saw themselves as belonging to smaller ethnic groupings like Greeks or Serbs.

The Growth of Fascism and the Second World War

During the 1930s, Albania was ruled by a fascist king named Zog I. A rigorous strategy of Albanian nationalism, including anti-Semitic and anti-Roma prejudices, was propagated by the authorities at the time. Many parts of Albanian life were closed out to Jews and Roma.

A fascist administration led by Benito Mussolini was installed in Albania after an Italian invasion that year (1939). At the period, Albanians were told they should consider themselves part of the superior “Aryan” race. As a result of this philosophy, many members of Albania’s Jewish, Romani, and other minority communities were persecuted.

Both Italy and Nazi Germany invaded Albania during WWII. Even as it promoted Albanian nationalism, the fascist administration met stiff opposition from anti-fascist organisations, many of whom included ethnic non-Albanians. The National Liberation Movement, whose leaders came from a wide range of Albanian nationalities and religions, was the most influential of these organizations.

Albania after the war

After WWII, Albania fell under the control of Enver Hoxha and became a communist nation. Hoxha’s regime promoted Albanian nationalism and repressed ethnic and religious minorities even as it advocated Marxist-Leninist philosophy. The government specifically went after Albanians who were thought to have foreign links to nations like Greece and Serbia.

Albania had a period of political and economic change in the late 1980s and early 1990s, during which time it moved toward democracy and established a market economy. However, massive protests and violent conflict were also hallmarks of this time period.

Albania has made strides in recent years in combating racism and prejudice within its boundaries. Discrimination on the basis of race, nationality, religion, gender, or sexual orientation has been illegal in the country since a new anti-discrimination law was passed in 2010.

unë, ti, ai, ajo, ne, ju, ata, ato, ky, kjo, këta, këto, mund, duhet, bërë, marrë, shumë, mirë, në, nga, për, me, te, nënë, babë, vëlla, motër, shoqëri, shkollë, universitet, punë, para, shtëpi, makina, veshje, bukë, ujë, qumesht, mish, fruta, perime, kafe, çaj, gjumë, ndjenjë, dashuri, respekt, ndihmë, fjalë, zgjidhje, pyetje, përgjigje, vështirësi, kënaqësi, kohë, muaj, vit, ditë, orë, minutë, sekondë, verë, dimër, pranverë, vjeshtë, stinë, qiell, diell, hënë, yje, tokë, det, lumë, liqen, male, pyll, shi, borë, era, fluturë, zog, qen, mace, breshër, qetësi, zhurmë, dëgjim, pamje, vështrim, ndriçim, errësirë, ngjyra, forma, dimensioni, peshë, gjatësia, gjerësia, lartësia, and