Albanian History
Before the Roman invasion in the 2nd century BC, the present territory of Albania was inhabited by the Illyrians, an Indo-European people. After the collapse of the Roman Empire in the west, Albania first came under the control of the Byzantine Empire and later of Bulgaria and Serbia.
When the Ottoman Turks invaded the Balkans in the late 14th century, Albania became part of the Ottoman Empire. In spite of the fierce resistance of the Albanians, led by their national hero Skanderbeg, the Turks ruled the country for almost 500 years. Albania did not gain its independence from the Turks until 1912. At that time, however, the country was too weak to resist the pressures exerted by the major European powers, which awarded to Serbia a large area with an Albanian population.
During World War I Albania was occupied by the warring powers, including Italy. Although these troops ultimately withdrew, the Italians retained an interest in the country. In 1922 Ahmed Bey Zogu became the premier. He then became president, and in 1928 he declared himself King Zog I. After the Italians invaded in April 1939, Zog fled the country.
During World War II the country was also occupied by the Germans. When they retreated in 1944, a leader of the Communist-led resistance movement, Enver Hoxha, became head of the Albanian government. In 1946 a people's republic was declared; private land was confiscated and industry nationalized. After the war Yugoslavia virtually controlled Albania. When Yugoslavia left the Soviet bloc in 1948, Albania broke its ties with that country and became an ally of the Soviet Union, joining the Warsaw Pact in 1955. Albania broke with the Soviet Union and became an ally of China in 1961; these ties to China were severed in 1978 but were renewed in 1991. more...
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