You do not have permission to edit this page, for the following reasons:

This IP address has been blocked from editing Wikipedia.
This does not affect your ability to read Wikipedia pages.
Most people who see this message have done nothing wrong. Some kinds of blocks restrict editing from specific service providers or telecom companies in response to recent abuse or vandalism, and can sometimes affect other users who are unrelated to that abuse. Review the information below for assistance if you do not believe that you have done anything wrong.

The IP address or range 44.201.0.0/16 has been blocked (disabled) by ‪ST47‬ for the following reason(s):

The IP address that you are currently using has been blocked because it is believed to be a web host provider. To prevent abuse, web hosts may be blocked from editing Wikipedia.
You will not be able to edit Wikipedia using a web host provider because it hides your IP address, much like a proxy or VPN.
We recommend that you attempt to use another connection to edit. For example, if you use a proxy or VPN to connect to the internet, turn it off when editing Wikipedia. If you edit using a mobile connection, try using a Wi-Fi connection, and vice versa. If you are using a corporate internet connection, switch to a different Wi-Fi network. If you have a Wikipedia account, please log in.
If you do not have any other way to edit Wikipedia, you will need to request an IP block exemption.

How to appeal if you are confident that your connection does not use a web host's IP address:
If you are confident that you are not using a web host, you may appeal this block by adding the following text on your talk page: ((unblock|reason=Caught by a web host block but this host or IP is not a web host. My IP address is _______. Place any further information here. ~~~~)). You must fill in the blank with your IP address for this block to be investigated. Your IP address can be determined here. Alternatively, if you wish to keep your IP address private you can use the unblock ticket request system. There are several reasons you might be editing using the IP address of a web host (such as if you are using VPN software or a business network); please use this method of appeal only if you think your IP address is in fact not a web host.

Administrators: The IP block exemption user right should only be applied to allow users to edit using web host in exceptional circumstances, and they should usually be directed to the functionaries team via email. If you intend to give the IPBE user right, a CheckUser needs to take a look at the account. This can be requested most easily at SPI Quick Checkuser Requests. Unblocking an IP or IP range with this template is highly discouraged without at least contacting the blocking administrator.

This block will expire on 23:54, 31 July 2024.

Even when blocked, you will usually still be able to edit your user talk page, as well as email administrators and other editors.

For information on how to proceed, please read the FAQ for blocked users and the guideline on block appeals. The guide to appealing blocks may also be helpful.

Other useful links: Blocking policy · Help:I have been blocked
Your IP address is in a range that has been blocked on all Wikimedia Foundation wikis. The block was made by ‪AntiCompositeNumber‬. The reason given is Open proxy/Webhost: Visit the FAQ if you are affected .
- Start of block: 13:55, 18 August 2022
- Expiry of block: 13:55, 18 April 2025
Your current IP address is 44.201.28.123. The blocked range is 44.201.0.0/16. Please include all above details in any queries you make. If you believe you were blocked by mistake, you can find additional information and instructions in the No open proxies global policy. Otherwise, to discuss the block please post a request for review on Meta-Wiki. You could also send an email to the stewards VRT queue at stewards@wikimedia.org including all above details.

You can view and copy the source of this page:

((short description|Collapse of communist control of Albania in the early 1990s))
((use British English|date=January 2023))
((more citations needed|date=December 2017))
((Infobox historical event
  |Event_Name     = Fall of communism in Albania
  |partof    = [[Revolutions of 1989]]
  |Image_Name     = Fall of Communism in Albania.JPG
  |Imagesize      = 
  |Image_Alt      = 
  |Image_Caption  = The toppling of [[Enver Hoxha]]'s statue<br /> in [[Skanderbeg Square]], Tirana (February 1991)
  |Thumb_Time     = 
  |AKA            = 
  |Participants   = 
  |Location       = [[Albania]]
  |Date           = 29 December 1989 – 22 March 1992
  |Result         = 
  |URL            = 
))
((Eastern Bloc sidebar))
[[File:EasternBloc PostDissolution2008.svg|thumb|250px|Territory of former [[Eastern Bloc]] states with the years when their communist rule ended. For the former republics of the Soviet Union, years in which they declared independence.]]

The '''fall of communism in Albania''', the last such event in [[Europe]] outside the [[Soviet Union]], started in December 1990 with student demonstrations in the capital, [[Tirana]], although protests started in January that year in other cities like [[Shkodër|Shkodra]] and [[Kavajë|Kavaja]].<ref>[http://www.tvklan.al/emisioni.php?id=2512# Mysteries of December 1990 (Misteret e Dhjetoret)] ((webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211110848/http://tvklan.al/emisioni.php?id=2512 |date=2011-02-11 )), [[TV Klan]].</ref> The Central Committee of the communist [[Party of Labour of Albania]] allowed political pluralism on 11 December and the largest opposition party, the [[Democratic Party of Albania|Democratic Party]], was founded the next day.<ref name=":0">((Cite book |last=Abrahams |first=Fred C. |url=http://www.modern-albania.com |title=Modern Albania: From Dictatorship to Democracy |publisher=NYU Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-0814705117 |location=New York |pages=169–221))</ref> [[1991 Albanian Constitutional Assembly election|March 1991 elections]] left the Party of Labour in power, but a general strike and urban opposition led to the formation of a "stability government" that included non-communists. Albania's former communists were routed in [[1992 Albanian parliamentary election|elections in March 1992]] amid economic collapse and social unrest, with the Democratic Party winning most seats and its party head, [[Sali Berisha]], becoming president.

==Background==
[[Enver Hoxha]], who ruled the [[Socialist People's Republic of Albania]] for four decades, died on April 11, 1985. [[Ramiz Alia]] succeeded Hoxha as the [[Secretary (title)#First secretary|First Secretary]] of the Party of Labour, and gradually introduced economic reforms and opened diplomatic ties with [[Western Europe]]an countries.<ref name="Lami">((Cite news |last=Lami |first=Remzi |title=Albania: nine years after |work=AIM Tirana |url=http://www.aimpress.org/dyn/trae/archive/data/199912/91216-007-trae-tir.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=21 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030803105204/http://www.aimpress.org/dyn/trae/archive/data/199912/91216-007-trae-tir.htm |archive-date=August 3, 2003))</ref>

During the [[revolutions of 1989]], many Albanians remained unaware of events because of state controlled information in the isolated country. Some Albanians did not know that the [[Berlin Wall]] had fallen in November 1989.<ref>((Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=32Wu8H7t8MwC&pg=PA22 |title=Albania and the European Union: the tumultuous journey towards integration |page=21 |isbn=9781845113087 |access-date=2011-06-27|last1=Bogdani |first1=Mirela |last2=Loughlin |first2=John |date=23 February 2007 ))</ref>

In January 1990, the first revolts started in [[Shkodra]], where a few hundred people wanted to demolish [[Joseph Stalin]]'s statue, and from there they spread to a few other cities. Eventually, the existing regime introduced some liberalization, including measures in 1990 providing for freedom to [[Albanian passport|travel abroad]]. Efforts were begun to improve ties with the outside world.

[[Mikhail Gorbachev]] had adopted new policies of [[glasnost]] and [[perestroika]] in the [[Soviet Union]] in 1985. After [[Nicolae Ceauşescu]], the communist leader of [[Romania]], was executed during the [[Romanian Revolution of 1989]], Alia knew that he might be next if radical changes were not made. He then signed the [[Helsinki Agreement]] which then forced conformity to Western European [[human rights]] standards. Alia also organized a meeting with leading intellectuals of the time on ways to reform the Albanian political system. Under Alia, the first pluralist elections took place since the communists took power in Albania in 1944. Alia's party won the election of March 31, 1991.

Nevertheless, it was clear that the transition to democracy would not be stopped.  Many leading members of the newly formed [[Democratic Party of Albania|Democratic Party]] wore light trench coats during demonstrations, while [[Sali Berisha]], then still a Party of Labour member, was heard thanking Ramiz Alia when addressing the students protests, and was seen driving around [[Skanderbeg Square]] with a government vehicle.<ref>((Cite web |last=Lenci lorenc |date=17 July 2009 |title=Sali Berisha cun i ri |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKUaRnSwKkA |access-date=21 March 2018 |via=YouTube))</ref><ref>((Cite web |last=OLTIONPENGU |date=25 June 2009 |title=I Panjohuri |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbRz4QZWtPY |access-date=21 March 2018 |via=YouTube))</ref> Meanwhile, a student demonstration was crushed by the state police in Tirana's Student City dormitories. Ramiz Alia invited a delegation of University of Tirana students to discuss their concerns and come up with a compromise.

The communists managed to retain control of the government in the first round of elections, but fell two months later during a general strike. A committee of "national salvation" took over but also collapsed within six months.((fact|date=March 2021)) Alia resigned as president and was succeeded by Berisha, the first democratically elected leader of Albania since Bishop [[Fan Noli]].

==Post-communist government==
((Main|History of Post-Communist Albania))
The change from communism to democracy evidently had many challenges. The Democratic Party had to implement the reforms it had promised, but they were either too slow or did not solve the nation's problems, resulting in people disappointed when their hopes for fast prosperity went unfulfilled. Many Albanians were also frustrated by Sali Berisha's growing authoritarianism, including pressure on the opposition, media and civil society.<ref>[[Human Rights Watch]], [https://www.hrw.org/report/1996/03/01/human-rights-post-communist-albania Human Rights in Post-communist Albania], March 1, 1996.</ref> In the general elections of June 1996, the Democratic Party tried to win an absolute majority and manipulated the results.<ref>Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, [http://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/albania/13567 Parliamentary Elections 26 May and 2 June: Observations], July 2, 1996.</ref>

The [[1997 Albanian civil unrest]] caused the government to fall after the collapse of a number of large "[[pyramid scheme]]s" (more accurately, [[Ponzi scheme]]s) and widespread [[corruption in Albania]], which caused disorder and rebellion throughout the country.<ref>((Cite book |last=Vaughan-Whitehead |first=Daniel |title=Albania in Crisis: The Predictable Fall of the Shining Star |publisher=Edward Elgar Pub |year=1999 |isbn=1840640707))</ref> The government attempted to suppress the revolt by force but the attempt failed, due to low morale and corruption in the [[military of Albania]].<ref name=":0" /> With the help of international mediation led by [[OSCE]] special envoy [[Franz Vranitzky]], the ruling and opposition parties agreed to form a Reconciliation Government and to hold new elections. To secure calm and to prevent an outward refugee flow, nine states contributed military forces to an international force called [[Operation Alba]].<ref>The nine participating states were: Austria, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey.</ref>

The [[1997 Albanian parliamentary election]]s in June brought the opposition Socialist Party (former communist party) to power, and it ruled under various prime ministers until 2005.<ref>((cite web | url=http://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/14029 | title=Final Report on Parliamentary Elections in Albania, 29 June 1997 ))</ref> The Democratic Party won parliamentary elections in 2005 and 2009, and Albania was governed again by Sali Berisha, this time as prime minister. The Socialist Party won the elections in 2013, and is governed by its party head and Prime Minister [[Edi Rama]].

According to the constitution, approved by referendum on November 22, 1998, promulgated on November 28, 1998, and amended in January 2007, Albania has a democratic system of government with separation of powers and protection of fundamental human rights.<ref>[http://www.osce.org/albania/41888 Constitution of the Republic of Albania].</ref>

Since the end of communism, the country became more aligned towards the [[Western world|West]] than its, albeit unenthused, relations with [[Russia]] or [[China]]. Albania joined [[NATO]] in 2009 and [[Accession of Albania to the European Union|is aiming to join]] the [[European Union]] in the future.

==See also==
*[[Albanians in Italy#Modern period|1991 Albanian Exodus to Italy]]
*[[Fatos Nano]]
*''[[Lamerica]]''

==References==
((Reflist))

==Further reading==
*((Cite book |last=Abrahams |first=Fred C. |url=http://www.modern-albania.com |title=Modern Albania: From Dictatorship to Democracy in Europe |date=2015 |publisher=NYU Press |isbn=9780814705117))
*Anders Åslund & Örjan Sjöberg (1992) [[doi:10.1080/14631379208427714|"Privatisation and transition to a market economy in Albania"]], ''Communist Economies and Economic Transformation'', 4:1, 135–150
*((Cite book |last=Rama |first=Shinasi |url=https://www.routledge.com/The-End-of-Communist-Rule-in-Albania-Political-Change-and-The-Role-of/Rama/p/book/9780367193607 |title=The End of Communist Rule in Albania: Political Change and The Role of The Student Movement |date=2019 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9780367193607))

==External links==
*[http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/former-albanian-political-prisoner-tomor-aliko-among-guests-at-mene-tekel-festival Prison nation on Radio.cz]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv9bYYorKGo Video footage from student protests, police clashes, and the toppling of Enver Hoxha's Statue]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXEaMNpyoOw Albania in 1991: The Awakening – Documentary on the events leading to the fall of communism in Albania] (Italian)

((Fall of Communism))

((DEFAULTSORT:Fall Of Communism In Albania))
[[Category:People's Socialist Republic of Albania]]
[[Category:Revolutions of 1989]]
[[Category:1991 in Albania]]
[[Category:Protests in Albania]]
[[Category:Decommunization]]
[[Category:Democratization]]

Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page (help):

Fall of communism in Albania (edit)
Template:Ambox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Template:Citation needed (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite book (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite news (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite web (view source) (protected)
Template:Civil navigation (view source) (extended confirmed protected)
Template:Color (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:DMCA (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Dated maintenance category (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Dated maintenance category (articles) (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Delink (view source) (protected)
Template:Eastern Bloc sidebar (edit)
Template:FULLROOTPAGENAME (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Fact (view source) (protected)
Template:Fall of Communism (edit)
Template:Find sources mainspace (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Fix (view source) (protected)
Template:Fix/category (view source) (protected)
Template:Hlist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:If empty (view source) (protected)
Template:Infobox event (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Infobox historical event (view source) (semi-protected)
Template:Main (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Main other (view source) (protected)
Template:More citations needed (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Navbox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Normalwraplink (view source) (extended confirmed protected)
Template:Ns has subpages (view source) (protected)
Template:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:SDcat (view source) (protected)
Template:Short description (view source) (protected)
Template:Short description/lowercasecheck (view source) (protected)
Template:Sidebar (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Sidebar with collapsible lists (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Subinfobox bodystyle (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Use British English (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Webarchive (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Wraplink (view source) (semi-protected)
Module:Arguments (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/blacklist (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/shared (view source) (protected)
Module:Check for unknown parameters (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1 (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/COinS (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Date validation (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Whitelist (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Delink (view source) (protected)
Module:Disambiguation/templates (view source) (protected)
Module:Find sources (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/config (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/links (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Find sources/templates/Find sources mainspace (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Format link (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Hatnote list (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:If empty (view source) (protected)
Module:Infobox (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Infobox/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:InfoboxImage (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Labelled list hatnote (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Message box (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/ambox.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar/configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbox (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Navbox/configuration (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Navbox/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Ns has subpages (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/disambiguation (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/setindex (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/softredirect (view source) (protected)
Module:SDcat (view source) (protected)
Module:Sidebar (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Sidebar/configuration (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Sidebar/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:String (view source) (protected)
Module:Template wrapper (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Unsubst (view source) (protected)
Module:Webarchive (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Webarchive/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Wikitext Parsing (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Yesno (view source) (protected)

Return to Fall of communism in Albania.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_communism_in_Albania"