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A Coming of Age: Albania Under Enver Hoxha (East European Monographs)
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Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #472991 in Books
- Published on: 1999-07-16
- Original language: English
- Binding: Hardcover
- 300 pages
Editorial Reviews
Synopsis
In 1945, Albania was an underdeveloped nation compared to other countries in Europe. So in studying Enver Hoxha's 40 year reign (1945-1985) it is necessary to recognize him as a leader who accomplished many things for Albania while concurrently enmeshing the country in policies that were not only counterproductive but self-destructive. This text studies a wide range of areas pertaining to Hoxha's impact upon Albania's development. James O'Donnell shows that, while it is necessary to give Hoxha a mixed report card, he enabled a small nation with a multitude of limitations to maintain its sovereignty and modernize through unorthodox methods.
Customer Reviews
A highly readable book on a fascinating subject.
The English socialist, Ian Burchill once said of Enver Hoxha:
"I feel the same way about Enver Hoxha as I do about Frank Sinatra. I despise everything he stood for, but even I have to admit - he had style!"
It is usual for western commentators to lay the blame for Albania's current state of chaos and backwardness firmly at the door of the post war regime of the stalinist Enver Hoxha and his Party of Labour. However, as James O'Donnell argues in this compelling book, things are by no means as simple as that.
In fact, as this book shows, far from being a conservative force, Enver Hoxha was actually a modernising influence on Albania. Some of the acheivements accomplished under his leadership were truly remarkable. In relative terms, economic growth in Albania easily outstripped that of the West.
Any judgement of Enver Hoxha has to take into account his shameful human rights record. To his credit, James O'Donnell does not try to gloss over this, or other serious shortcomings of the regime in domestic and foreign policy. For some, Enver Hoxha's human rights record alone is enough to damn him to hell. However, as O'Donnell argues, everything that happened has to be taken in the context of Albanian history, and society as it was at the time.
James O'Donnell presents you with the facts and leaves you to draw your own conclusions. Enver Hoxha was such an enigmatic figure that doing so is extremely difficult, especially after reading this thought-provoking little book.
