United Kingdom
France
Germany
Netherlands
Sweden
USA
Italy
Spain
Geolocations > Geolocations - Countries > Albania
Available
-
Kosovoa`s declaration of
independence in 2008 and
the overt manipulation of
this precedent by Russia
in its war with Georgia
and South Ossetia shortly
afterwards has focused
the worlda`s attention
once again on the
Balkans. But Albaniaa`s
role within the region
remains little known and
less understood. In this
revised edition of a
major work of
contemporary history,
two well-known and
internationally-respected
authorities elucidate
Albania`s place in the
Balkans, from the
explosion of violence in
the 1990s, which brought
the country to the brink
of civil war, to the
present day. The future
of the Albanians in the
Balkans is the most
pressing issue in the
region today, a fact
which the West must pay
close heed to if this
long neglected nation is
to become a European
partner. Indeed, the
authors argue, in this
rapidly evolving
political climate,
failure to come to terms
with the importance of
the Albanian question
could return the region
as a whole to armed
conflict.
Availability: In Stock
£12.99
Available
-
In the early 1990s,
Albania, arguably
Europe`s most closed and
repressive state, began
a startling transition
out of forty years of
self-imposed Communist
isolation. Albanians who
were not allowed to
practice religion,
travel abroad, wear
jeans, or read
”decadent” Western
literature began to
devour the outside world.
They opened cafes,
companies, and
newspapers. Previously
banned rock music blared
in the streets. Modern
Albania offers a vivid
history of the Albanian
Communist regime`s fall
and the trials and
tribulations that led the
country to become the
state it is today. The
book provides an in-depth
look at the Communists`
last Politburo meetings
and the first student
revolts, the fall of the
Stalinist regime, the
outflows of refugees,
the crash of the massive
pyramid-loan schemes,
the war in neighboring
Kosovo, and Albania`s
relationship with the
United States.Fred
Abrahams weaves together
personal experience from
more than twenty years of
work in Albania,
interviews with key
Albanians and foreigners
who played a role in the
country`s politics since
1990-including former
Politburo members,
opposition leaders,
intelligence agents,
diplomats, and founders
of the Kosovo Liberation
Army-and a close
examination of hundreds
of previously secret
government records from
Albania and the United
States. A rich,
narratively-driven
account, Modern Albania
gives readers a front-row
seat to the dramatic
events of the last battle
of Cold War Europe.
Availability: In Stock
£19.99
Available
-
Stalinism, that
particularly brutal phase
of communism, came to an
end in most of Eastern
Europe with the death of
Josef Stalin in 1953 or
at least with the
Khrushchev reforms that
began in the Soviet Union
in 1956. However, in one
country - Albania -
Stalinism survived
virtually unscathed until
1990. The regime that the
Albanian dictator Enver
Hoxha led from the time
of the communist takeover
in 1944 until his death
in 1985, and that
continued unabated under
his successor Ramiz Alia
until 1990, was
incomparably severe. Such
was the reign of terror
that no audible voice of
opposition or dissent
ever arose in the Balkan
state, a European
country that became as
isolated from the rest of
the world as North Korea
is today. When the
Albanian communist system
finally imploded, it
left behind a weary
population, frightened
and confused after
decades of purges and
political terror. It also
left behind a country
with a weak and fragile
economy, a country where
extreme poverty was the
norm. In the decades
since Hoxha`s death,
Albania has made
substantial progress in
political and economic
terms, yet the spectre
of Hoxha still lingers
over the country.Despite
this, many people -
inside and outside
Albania - know little
about the man who ruled
the country with an iron
fist for so many decades.
This book provides the
first biography of Enver
Hoxha available in
English, from his birth
in GjirokastEr in
southern Albania, then
still under Ottoman rule,
to his death in 1985 at
the age of 76. Using
archival documents and
first-hand interviews,
Albanian journalist
Blendi Fevziu pieces
together the life of this
tyrannical ruler, in a
biography which will be
essential reading for
anyone interested in
Balkan history and
communist studies.
Availability: In Stock
£12.99
Available
-
This work analyzes the
events leading to the
overthrow of the
one-party state in
Albania, the end of
communism and the
transistion to democracy.
It is divided into
historical sections which
trace the disintegration
of the communist system,
culminating in the
”Winter of Anarchy”
of 1990-91 and the
fortunes of the National
Unity and Democratic
Party governments after
1991. It also analyzes
the cultural and social
impact of these changes
and explores the emerging
crises facing the
Albanian peoples in
neighbouring Kosova and
Macedonia. Special
attention is paid to the
problems of the
significant Greek
minority, the crucial
question of religion,
the military and national
security and Albania`s
foreign relations. The
book is based on
interviews, research in
Albania`s newly opened
archives and the author`s
personal participation in
the events they describe.
Availability: In Stock
£20.00
Available
-
When will Albania join
the EU? Will accession
help Albania to achieve
prosperity, stability
and prosperity? And,
what factors are helping
it towards this end and
what factors are holding
it back? An original
study of Albania and its
relations with the EU,
this is the first book to
identify and analyse the
problems of the country
as it moves towards
membership of the Union.
It explores the
political, economic and
social transformations
needed to make Albanian
membership possible. The
authors highlight the
enormous democratic
changes that have
occurred in
post-communist Albania,
as well as the many
obstacles that still
remain. This balanced and
objective assessment will
be an essential resource
for everyone interested
in the history and future
of the Balkans and the
EU.
Availability: In Stock
£59.50
Denmark