Albania

The Syndicalist Republic of Albania is a socialist republic in the Mediterranian Balkans, It borders Greece to the south, Serbia to the east and north, and the Adriatic Sea to the west.

## Albania

### Islamization

In the 15th century, Albanian national hero Skanderbeg fought back against the Turkish invaders. However, after his death and the fall of Krujas and Shkodra, the country came under four centuries of foreign rule. Large numbers of the population converted to Islam in the 16th and 17th century, allowing them to rise into the highest offices - eleven Grand Viziers came from Albania and Mohammed Ali founded a dynasty in Egypt in 1805. The Islamization brought support for the resistance against Serbs and Greek as well as against the Ottoman rule itself. Only at the end of the 19th century, the national renaissance began with the founding of the League of Prizren.

Around 1910, Albania was shaken by multiple nationalist revolts; While the Ottomans were able to suppress these revolts, they had to give in to Albanian demands in 1912 and promised them autonomy in a united Albanian vilayet under Ottoman authority.

### Balkan Wars

However, the dream of Albanian autonomy and unity soon became endangered when the Balkan League declared war on the Ottoman Empire in 1912 and occupied huge swaths of their European territory. The Albanians, worried that their territory would be partitioned between Greece, Serbia and Montenegro, declared their independence and sought out international support. In 1913, the great powers guaranteed their independence, however almost 50% of their claimed territory was given to neighbouring countries, including Kosovo. To bring stability into the newly established state, which was plagued by anarchy and lawlessness, the great powers chose a German Protestant aristocrat, Wilhelm of Wied, as the future ruler of Albania. Wilhelm soon arrived in early 1914, shortly before the oubreak of the Weltkrieg.

### Weltkrieg

The outbreak of the Weltkrieg presented more problems for the country as Austria-Hungary demanded Albanian soldiers to fight alongside them. When Prince Wilhelm refused, citing the neutrality of Albania in the Treaty of London, the remuneration that he had been receiving was cut off. At the same time, an Islamic, pro-Turkish revolt emerged in Central Albania, trying to overthrow the foreign, Christian monarch and reestablish Ottoman control over Albania. Wied's regime collapsed and the prince left the country on 3 September 1914 to join the Imperial German Army, despite formally remaining the Albanian head of state.

After Wied's departure, the Albanian landowner and former Ottoman army officer Essad Pasha Toptani established himself with Serbian support as the new ruler of Albania, angering the rebels again. Until mid-1915, a harsh civil war was fought in Central Albania between Toptani's troops, Italian volunteers, and the Islamic rebels. Only when Serbian troops invaded Albania in June 1915, defeated the rebels, and executed their leaders, was Toptani's rule finally stabilized. However, when Austro-Hungarian troops swept through much of central and northern Albania in the spring of 1916 and occupied the country, Toptani fled Albania never to return.

In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles officially determined the status of Albania: a restored Principality under the authority of Prince Wilhelm within the Austrian sphere.

### June Revolution

This all changed in 1924 when the June Revolution saw various Albanian nationalists, which included Avni Rrustemi and Ahmet Zogu amongst them, able to successfully dethrone Wied and rid the nation of Austrian influence. The success of the revolution was heavily dependent upon turbulent Austro-Hungarian internal reforms during the time, which left them unable to enforce their will within the Balkans.

This culminated with the creation of the Republic of Albania, whereby the nation adopted a parliamentary system. A bicameral legislature made up of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies was created during this time.

### Republican Era

Following the revolution, two main parties emerged: the Unity Party led by Avni Rrustemi and Fan Noli, which supports the transfer of power from the aristocracy to the common man, alongside the redistribution of lands held by the aristocracy to the people, and the Progressive Party, led by Shefqet Vërlaci and Ahmet Zogu, which supports the maintenance of the current status-quo and the strengthening of the aristocracy.

With the fourth Albanian elections set to occur in 1936, the nation itself is very much politically polarized, with members of the two parties, who had once worked together, now at each others’ throats in an attempt to gain power.

### Socialist Revolution

On April 17th, 1931, the Socialist Party, with Enver Hoxha as head, lead a march on Tirana to depose the reactionary Ahmet Bey Zogu from government. After having amassed a lot of firearms via smuggling, and being sent from Serbia. The military, having sympathies toward Hoxha. Mutiny against the government. The insuing battle left at least 6000 dead on the Syndicalist's side, and the entire Albanian regiments that did not mutiny. Whose army was made out of 8785 militia men. More than half surrendered, while the others were killed or fled. Afterwards Hoxha took over and installed his comittee in power.