Modern Albania: From Dictatorship to Democracy in Europe
Oct 2018 · NYU Press
star
4 reviews
Ebook
217
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
A "compulsively readable" account of the collapse of Europe's last Communist regime and the dramatic events that followed ( Los Angeles Review of Books).
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 cafés, 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 (it may be the only country outside the US that boasts a statue of George W. Bush).
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 provides a front-row seat to the dramatic events of the last battle of Cold War Europe.
Includes photographs
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 cafés, 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 (it may be the only country outside the US that boasts a statue of George W. Bush).
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 provides a front-row seat to the dramatic events of the last battle of Cold War Europe.
Includes photographs
A "compulsively readable" account of the collapse of Europe's last Communist regime and the dramatic events that followed ( Los Angeles Review of Books).
In the early 1990s, Albania, arguably Europe's most closed and repressive state, began a startling transition out of forty years of self-impo...
Discover more
Ratings and reviews
4 reviews
Karl Hirst
- Flag inappropriate
October 7, 2026
Modern Albania Great Book Enjoyed Reading Albania LEK Closed Currency Great Money
About the author
Abrahams Fred C. : Fred C. Abrahams is a special advisor at Human Rights Watch and a writer who has worked for twenty years in areas marred by political crises and armed conflict, including the Balkans and Middle East.
Abrahams Fred C. : Fred C. Abrahams is a special advisor at Human Rights Watch and a writer who has worked for twenty years in areas marred by political crises and armed conflict, including the Balkans and Middle East.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
