Albania

Abstract

The territory of present Albania was part of the Roman Empire. When the Empire was split in the fourth century after Christ, it became part of the East Roman Empire, later called Byzantium. Thus the territory became Christianized by the Orthodox Church. In the late fourteenth century (1385) Albania came under Ottoman rule. Nevertheless, this domination was never complete and the Albanian history since that time until independence is full of revolts and uprisings. After a long struggle for independence, achieved finally in 1912, Albania became an independent state, recognized by the great powers of that time. In 1913, the boundaries were fixed. During World War I, Albania was invaded by Austria, France and Italy and occupied, but the territory was restored in the Peace Conferences of Paris in 1919. From 1925–8 Albania was a republic, but in 1928 Ahmet Zogu seized power and declared himself king. This regime survived until the occupation by Italy in 1939. This occupation lasted until 1943, when Italy changed the front. From 1943–4 Albania was occupied by Germany. In 1945, Albania became a People’s Republic which lasted until 1992. In 1992, communist power ended and the country opened itself to the West, becoming the Republic of Albania. The economy was restructured towards a market economy and collective farms and enterprises were privatized. In 1997, there was a major political upheaval in Albania, throwing the country into a severe political and economic crisis. The GDP-growth rates became negative. The Kosovo war of 1999 had major impacts on the public finances of Albania when the country offered considerable help to the Kosovars.