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satellites. Thus Albania, as a national state, was an artificial creation
of Great Power politics rather than an expression of the national will and
power of the Albanian people.
The new state was engulfed in World War I before it had well begun to
function. With impartial xenophobia the Albanians expelled the German
prince who had been imposed on them and decimated the hated and helpless
Serbs driven into their country by the Austro-Bulgarian advance. There-
after Albania was occupied by Austrian forces in the north and Italian
forces in the south. On the collapse of Austria, Italy was left in com-
plete control of the situation. The restored Albanian state depended upon
Italy for protection from the continued aggressive designs of its Balkan
neighbors, Yugoslavia and Greece.
Albeit under vague Italian protection, Albania enjoyed, between 1920
and 1924, a brief period of striving toward democratic self-government.
In 1924, however, Ahmed Bey Zogu (later King Zog I), supported by the
landowners and other reactionary elements, seized power and established an
authoritarian regime. Zog effectively subdued the clans, established un-
precedented order, developed the apparatus of modern administration, im-
proved communications, and promoted the exploitation of Albania's petroleum
resources. His neglect of true social and economic reform, however, his
denial of civil liberties, and his increasing subservience to Fascist Italy
created conditions favorable to subsequent Communist agitation.
On Good Friday, 1939, Mussolini found occasion to discard his Albanian
puppet and to install Victor Emmanuel as King of Albania. Although nominally
a separate kingdom still, the country was for all practical purposes annexed
by Italy. There was no appreciable resistance to this coup, which in fact
represented no more than nominal change in the real status of Albania. More-
over, the Albanians took no advantage of the Italian defeat by the Greeks in
1940, since liberation by Greece would certainly have entailed the loss of
Albanian territory. Conversely, on the collapse of Yugoslavia and Greece
before the German onslaught in 1941, Albania gained certain accessions of
territory long claimed, but never before within her grasp.
2. Origins of the Present Regime
It was only after the German invasion of the USSR that significant resis-
tance began to develop in Albania. Although the appeal of this movement was
to Albanian patriotism in opposition to Italian occupation, its belated
appearance and convenient timing were significant of its Communist leader-
ship. Not all Albanian nationalists were prepared to accept such leadership,
however; for a time there was a rival movement supported by landowners, Catholic
clergy, and similar conservative elements, and a full-scale civil war between
them, parallel to that between the adherents of Tito and Mihailovich in
Yugoslavia. As in Yugoslavia, the Communists disguised their ulterior pur-
poses, appealed to the ideal of national unity, promised free elections after
liberation, and SO won a more general following than did their competitors.
By October 1944 their "People's Army" had liberated three-fourths of the
I-2
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"ocrText": "SECRET\nsatellites. Thus Albania, as a national state, was an artificial creation\nof Great Power politics rather than an expression of the national will and\npower of the Albanian people.\nThe new state was engulfed in World War I before it had well begun to\nfunction. With impartial xenophobia the Albanians expelled the German\nprince who had been imposed on them and decimated the hated and helpless\nSerbs driven into their country by the Austro-Bulgarian advance. There-\nafter Albania was occupied by Austrian forces in the north and Italian\nforces in the south. On the collapse of Austria, Italy was left in com-\nplete control of the situation. The restored Albanian state depended upon\nItaly for protection from the continued aggressive designs of its Balkan\nneighbors, Yugoslavia and Greece.\nAlbeit under vague Italian protection, Albania enjoyed, between 1920\nand 1924, a brief period of striving toward democratic self-government.\nIn 1924, however, Ahmed Bey Zogu (later King Zog I), supported by the\nlandowners and other reactionary elements, seized power and established an\nauthoritarian regime. Zog effectively subdued the clans, established un-\nprecedented order, developed the apparatus of modern administration, im-\nproved communications, and promoted the exploitation of Albania's petroleum\nresources. His neglect of true social and economic reform, however, his\ndenial of civil liberties, and his increasing subservience to Fascist Italy\ncreated conditions favorable to subsequent Communist agitation.\nOn Good Friday, 1939, Mussolini found occasion to discard his Albanian\npuppet and to install Victor Emmanuel as King of Albania. Although nominally\na separate kingdom still, the country was for all practical purposes annexed\nby Italy. There was no appreciable resistance to this coup, which in fact\nrepresented no more than nominal change in the real status of Albania. More-\nover, the Albanians took no advantage of the Italian defeat by the Greeks in\n1940, since liberation by Greece would certainly have entailed the loss of\nAlbanian territory. Conversely, on the collapse of Yugoslavia and Greece\nbefore the German onslaught in 1941, Albania gained certain accessions of\nterritory long claimed, but never before within her grasp.\n2. Origins of the Present Regime\nIt was only after the German invasion of the USSR that significant resis-\ntance began to develop in Albania. Although the appeal of this movement was\nto Albanian patriotism in opposition to Italian occupation, its belated\nappearance and convenient timing were significant of its Communist leader-\nship. Not all Albanian nationalists were prepared to accept such leadership,\nhowever; for a time there was a rival movement supported by landowners, Catholic\nclergy, and similar conservative elements, and a full-scale civil war between\nthem, parallel to that between the adherents of Tito and Mihailovich in\nYugoslavia. As in Yugoslavia, the Communists disguised their ulterior pur-\nposes, appealed to the ideal of national unity, promised free elections after\nliberation, and SO won a more general following than did their competitors.\nBy October 1944 their \"People's Army\" had liberated three-fourths of the\nI-2\nSECRE"
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