Enver Hoxha
Enver Hoxha (16 October 1908 – 11 April 1985) was an Albanian politician who was dictator of Albania. Ideologically a communist, Hoxha served as prime minister of Albania from 1944 until 1954, and First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania from 1941 until his death.
Enver Hoxha | |
|---|---|
 Hoxha in c.1971-1972 | |
| First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania | |
| In office 8 November 1941 – 11 April 1985 | |
| Succeeded by | Ramiz Alia |
| 2nd Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Albania | |
| In office 24 October 1944 – 18 July 1954 | |
| Preceded by | Ibrahim Biçakçiu (as Prime Minister of Albania) |
| Succeeded by | Mehmet Shehu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 October 1908 Ergiri (Gjirokastër), Janina Vilayet, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | 11 April 1985 (aged 76) Tirana, People's Socialist Republic of Albania |
| Nationality | Albanian |
| Political party | Party of Labour of Albania |
| Spouse(s) | Nexhmije Hoxha |
| Children | Ilir Sokol Pranvera |
Under his regime, thousands of opponents ("dissidents") were executed, and tens of thousands more were imprisoned in forced labour camps.[1][2]
Early life
Hoxha was born in Gjirokastër, a city in southern Albania (then under the Ottoman Empire) that has been home to many prominent families. He was the son of Halil Hoxha, a Bektashi Tosk cloth merchant who traveled widely across Europe and the United States and Gjylihan (Gjylo) Hoxha. He was raised a member of a wealthy Muslim family of landowners and merchants.[3] He went to the best schools in Albania in the 1920s. He was given one of the few scholarships to a foreign college. In 1931 he attended the University of Montpellier in France.[3] He lost his scholarship in 1934 for poor performance and moved to Paris.[3]
Near the end of World War II he became the Prime Minister of Albania.[4]
References
- 40 Years of Socialist Albania, Dhimiter Picani
- "Enver Hoxha: Prime Minister of Albania". Encyclopædia Britannica.
- Balkan Strongmen: Dictators and Authoritarian Rulers of South Eastern Europe ed. Bernd Jürgen Fischer (West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press, 2007), pp. 241–242
- Gillian Gloyer, Albania (Chalfont St. Peter: Bradt Travel Guides, 2012), p. 16
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by New creation |
Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Albania 1944–1954 |
Succeeded by Mehmet Shehu |
| Preceded by Omer Nishani |
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania 1946–1953 |
Succeeded by Behar Shtylla |
