People's Socialist Republic of Albania | ||||||||||
Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë | ||||||||||
Satellite state of the Soviet Union (until 1968) Member of the Warsaw Pact (until 1968) |
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Motto Ti Shqipëri, më jep nder, më jep emrin Shqipëtar "You Albania, give me honour, give me the name Albanian" • Proletarë të të gjitha vendeve, bashkohuni! "Proletarians of all countries, unite!" |
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Anthem Himni i Flamurit (Albanian) Hymn to the Flag |
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Location of Albania in Europe.
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Capital | Tirana | |||||||||
Languages | Albanian | |||||||||
Religion | None (state atheism) | |||||||||
Government |
Unitary Marxist-Leninist one-party state (1946-76) Unitary Hoxhaist one-party state (1976–91) Unitary parliamentary republic (1991–92) |
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First Secretary | ||||||||||
• | 1946–1985 | Enver Hoxha | ||||||||
• | 1985–1991 | Ramiz Alia | ||||||||
Chairman | ||||||||||
• | 1946–1953 | Omer Nishani | ||||||||
• | 1953–1982 | Haxhi Lleshi | ||||||||
• | 1982–1991 | Ramiz Alia | ||||||||
Prime Minister | ||||||||||
• | 1946–1954 | Enver Hoxha | ||||||||
• | 1954–1981 | Mehmet Shehu | ||||||||
• | 1982–1991 | Adil Çarçani | ||||||||
Legislature | People's Assembly | |||||||||
Historical era | Cold War | |||||||||
• | Formation | 11 January 1946 | ||||||||
• | Constitution amended | 28 December 1976 | ||||||||
• | Sino-Albanian split | 1978 | ||||||||
• | Fall of communism | 11 December 1990 | ||||||||
• | Democratic elections | 31 March 1991 | ||||||||
• | Reconstituted as the Republic of Albania | 30 April 1991 | ||||||||
• | First parliamentary elections | 22 March 1992 | ||||||||
• | New Albanian Constitution | 28 November 1998 | ||||||||
Area | ||||||||||
• | 1989 | 28,748 km² (11,100 sq mi) | ||||||||
Population | ||||||||||
• | 1945 est. | 1,122,044 | ||||||||
• | 1989 est. | 3,512,317 | ||||||||
Density | 122.2 /km² (316.4 /sq mi) | |||||||||
Currency |
Franga 1946–1947
Albanian lek 1947–1992 |
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Calling code | +355 | |||||||||
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Today part of | Albania |
Albanian lek 1947–1992
Albania (i/ælˈbeɪniə, ɔːl-/, a(w)l-BAY-nee-ə; Albanian: Shqipëri/Shqipëria; Gheg Albanian: Shqipni/Shqipnia, Shqypni/Shqypnia), officially the People's Socialist Republic of Albania (Albanian: Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë), was a socialist state that ruled Albania from 1946 to its fall in 1992. From 1946 to 1976 it was known as the People's Republic of Albania, and from 1944 to 1946 as the Democratic Government of Albania. Throughout this period the country had a reputation for its Stalinist style of state administration dominated by the Enver Hoxha and the Party of Labour of Albania and for policies stressing national unity and self-reliance. Travel and visa restrictions made Albania one of the most difficult countries to visit or to travel from. In 1967, it declared itself the world's first atheist state. It was the only Warsaw Pact member to formally withdraw from the alliance before 1990, an action occasioned by the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. The first multi-party elections in Socialist Albania took place on 31 March 1991 – the communists gained a majority in an interim government and the first parliamentary elections were held on 22 March 1992. The People's Socialist Republic was officially dissolved on 28 November 1998 upon the adoption of the new Constitution of Albania.