0:00

Hey there! Did you know Kroger always gives

0:02

you savings and rewards on top of our

0:04

lower than low prices? And when you download

0:06

the Kroger app, you'll enjoy over $500 in

0:09

savings And when you download the Kroger app, you'll enjoy over $500 in savings every

0:11

week with digital coupons. And don't forget FuelPoints

0:13

to help you save up to $1 per

0:15

gallon at the pump. Want to

0:17

save even more? With a Boost membership, you'll

0:20

get double FuelPoints and free delivery! So

0:22

shop and save big at Kroger today. Kroger,

0:24

fresh for everyone. Savings may vary by

0:27

state. Restrictions apply. See site for details.

0:32

The example that comes to mind is...

0:33

It's November the 20th,

0:35

1941. We're

0:38

in Albania, in southeastern

0:40

Europe. The

0:42

main square in the capital, Tirana. Shouts

0:47

and whistles pierce the air. Angry

0:50

voices rise in protest, chanting,

0:53

down with the fascists. Young

0:56

people filled with bravado front up

0:58

to the Italian police, the Carabinieri.

1:02

After two years under occupation, the locals have

1:04

had enough. They

1:06

don't want Mussolini's men here. This

1:09

is their Albania. They

1:12

search forwards again. Right

1:16

in the thick of it, a tall,

1:18

handsome young man finds himself face to

1:20

face with an Italian captain. The

1:23

officer shoves him backwards, but

1:25

he's picked on the wrong protester. Drawing

1:29

his arm back, the man unleashes

1:31

a thunderous punch, catching the

1:33

policeman's square in the jaw. With

1:40

battens raised and pistols in hand,

1:42

other officers turn on him. It's

1:45

time to run. This

1:49

young man is Enver Hocca. And

1:52

though he's running now, that

1:54

punch has just sent him on a path to

1:57

becoming not just the leader of Albania. but

2:00

one of the longest reigning dictators in modern

2:02

history. This

2:07

is the story of a small European nation on

2:09

the edge of the Eastern Bloc, which

2:12

became one of the most isolated countries in

2:14

the world. From

2:16

1944 to 1985, Envohodja

2:19

ran Albania as a Stalinist

2:22

dictatorship, a regime

2:24

that was almost unfathomably repressive. Around

2:28

a third of Albania's population ended

2:30

up in prisons or internally exiled.

2:33

Tens of thousands were executed on Hodges

2:35

orders, as the country was brought

2:37

to the brink of starvation. And

2:40

as time went by, he sought to

2:42

control not just the actions of his people, but

2:45

their thoughts as well. Friends,

2:48

neighbors, even families, would

2:51

be driven to betray each other to save

2:53

themselves. So

2:56

how did Hodja emerge from obscurity, help

2:59

oust the Italians, and then

3:01

stay in power for so long, for

3:03

nearly half a century? How

3:06

did Uncle Envoh keep his citizens in

3:08

the dark about the outside world, for

3:11

so much of the 20th century? From

3:16

Noiser, this is part one of

3:19

the Envohodja story. And

3:22

this is real detectives. Envohodja

3:26

story. The Envohodja story is about the

3:28

Envohodja story. Albania

3:50

is relatively small in terms of landmass, not

3:54

much bigger than Wales or New Hampshire. It

3:57

sits on the Balkan Peninsula, above Greece. and

4:00

below the former Yugoslavia. The

4:04

Balkan Alps dominate to the north. From

4:07

their peaks, rivers flow all

4:09

the way to the luscious waters of the

4:11

Adriatic and Ionian seas. The

4:14

history of this country is not especially well-known

4:16

beyond its own borders, and

4:19

for good reason. Its

4:21

longest-serving leader kept it cut off from the

4:23

rest of the world for decades. Envohodja

4:27

too is lesser known, not exactly a

4:29

household name, compared with other

4:31

20th century communist strongmen. His

4:36

story starts in the early 1900s. In

4:40

the south of Albania, nestled in

4:42

a valley, is the town

4:44

of Girocaster. Its

4:46

traditional stone houses lie in

4:49

narrow cobblestone streets. A

4:53

well-traveled merchant, Halil Hocher,

4:55

lives here with his

4:57

wife, Julie Han. In

4:59

1908, their first and only son is born.

5:03

They name him Envoh, after

5:05

a leading figure in the young Turk

5:07

revolution, the recent revolt against

5:09

the Ottoman Empire. This

5:12

is a turbulent time. In

5:14

1912, when Envoh is four years old,

5:17

Albania declares independence from the Ottomans.

5:21

Emanating from modern-day Turkey, they

5:24

have controlled much of southeastern Europe for

5:26

centuries. Now, in

5:28

the course of the Balkan Wars, a

5:30

series of battles has loosened their grip. The

5:35

Hodges are an Albanian Muslim family, but

5:38

Girocaster is also home to a

5:40

substantial Greek population. Albanians

5:43

and Greeks will contest this region,

5:46

often through violence right up until 1921, when

5:50

it will definitively become part of Albania. The

5:56

advent of World War I in 1914 only serves to turbocharged

6:00

the upheaval and instability in the Balkans.

6:04

In 1922, a decade after

6:07

Albanian independence and four

6:09

years after the Armistice, a

6:11

new leader of the Albanian people comes to the

6:13

fore. A young man

6:15

named Ahmed Zogu. He

6:18

will serve first as Prime Minister, then

6:20

President, and finally as monarch,

6:23

styling himself King Zog the

6:25

First. Dan

6:28

Fisher is Professor of History at

6:30

Indiana University, a former

6:32

special advisor to the Albanian royal court

6:35

and the author of A Concise History of

6:37

Albania. He was part

6:39

of the Ottoman Empire until 1912, so

6:42

the last of the Balkan states

6:44

to achieve independence. During the interwar

6:47

period, it was ruled principally by

6:49

King Zog, who was a self-proclaimed

6:51

king. He rose from being one

6:54

of the major tribal chieftains in

6:56

the north of Albania. King

7:00

Zog's reign soon becomes an autocratic one.

7:03

He dissolves parliament and rules by decree.

7:07

But he's also keen to modernize the country, and

7:10

his economic reforms see an increase in

7:12

trade and industry, which benefits

7:14

middle-class families, families

7:17

like the Hoches. His

7:19

father was a merchant, so relatively

7:21

well-off. His son as a result

7:23

was sent to some of the

7:25

best schools in Albania, and there

7:27

weren't very many. In

7:33

his late teens, Enver is sent to study

7:35

at the French Lise in Korcher, near

7:38

the Greek border. Known

7:40

as the city of Serenades, thanks

7:42

to its rich cultural scene, Korcher

7:45

has a close-knit community with a strong

7:47

sense of civil identity. Korcher

7:50

thrives here. He's bright

7:52

and loves reading. He

7:54

becomes fluent in French. By

7:57

the time he graduates, there's still no university

7:59

in Olivate. Albania, but

8:01

he receives a scholarship from King's old government

8:04

to travel abroad, to study

8:06

philosophy in Montpellier in France. It's

8:11

here, on the shores of the

8:13

Mediterranean, but Hodger seems

8:15

to have his first significant brush

8:17

with communist ideas. His

8:20

university days are spent drinking coffee,

8:23

smoking cigarettes and digesting the writings

8:25

of Marx, Engels and Lenin. His

8:28

academic assignments quickly slot into third

8:31

place behind his social

8:33

activities and his ideological

8:35

explorations. Indeed,

8:38

after four years of neglecting his degree,

8:41

Hodger's funding is withdrawn. Nonetheless,

8:45

while his academic career may be over, his

8:48

experience in Montpellier has had a

8:50

significant impact on his political development.

8:56

He moves briefly to Belgium and

8:58

finds work in Brussels as

9:00

a secretary in the Albanian consulate. But

9:04

Hodger appears to be a patriotic young man

9:06

with a strong desire to spread the

9:09

political ideals he's adopted in France. Back

9:13

home, King's Org has

9:15

grown close to Italy's dictator Benito

9:17

Mussolini. The country

9:19

is open to fascist interference. For

9:23

young Enver Hodger, now is

9:25

the perfect time to go back and

9:27

be part of the political change he wants to

9:29

see. In

9:32

1936, Hodger returns to Albania.

9:35

He takes up a teaching post at his former

9:37

lisée in Kuche. He's

9:43

been gifted opportunity. He's

9:45

seen something of the world. He's

9:47

been exposed to radical left-wing thinking. But

9:50

still, it's a very long way

9:52

from this point to political power. That

9:56

journey is kickstarted by events leading

9:58

up to the Second World War. As

10:01

Kings Olds Administration Fenders, During.

10:05

The course of the nineteen

10:07

thirties, he became dependent upon

10:09

the Italian, specifically Mussolini for

10:11

extensive economic aid in. Albania

10:14

at that point, was really

10:16

not economically viable by itself.

10:19

Mussolini. Ultimately decided does simply

10:22

to take Albania invaded and

10:24

nineteen Thirty nine hoping to

10:26

make Albania the beach and

10:28

for the recreation of the

10:30

Roman Empire in the Balkans

10:32

key essentially annexed Albania to

10:34

the Italian Kingdom and the

10:36

Albanians and of maintain not

10:38

incorrectly that this was gonna

10:40

ways or the beginning of

10:42

World War Two in Europe.

10:45

Doctor. Art and Culture. No

10:47

relation to the dictator as a researcher

10:49

at the Institute of History in Tirana.

10:52

And. The author of Sugar Land. The

10:55

transformation of the countryside and communist

10:57

Albania. He goes to

10:59

study in France. never seen as it

11:01

is that is. He

11:04

started teaching in our friends and he said.

11:06

No political activity, nothing. But.

11:09

What happens is the Italian envies on

11:11

the Continent to thirty nine that. Somehow

11:14

the screen all the old elites,

11:16

the older leads the copper with

11:18

it's with times to hold the

11:20

positions discredit them at that created

11:22

the right space for newcomers in

11:24

the that you the police. As

11:27

with other Balkan states, we

11:29

see the development of resistance

11:32

movements. Against the Italians and

11:34

this is where watch it comes

11:36

in. Shortly.

11:41

After the Italian Invasion and Nineteen Thirty

11:43

nine. The french ne sais

11:46

shutdown. A thirty two

11:48

years old. How to find himself out of a

11:50

job. Cuts. For the

11:52

capital, City.

11:55

Is now a key administrative center for the

11:57

first and keep. And.

11:59

They influence everywhere. Large.

12:02

Scale. Infrastructure works abound.

12:04

Roads. Buildings and military

12:06

installations springing up. Civil.

12:09

Disobedience, public protests, and acts

12:12

of sabotage can be into

12:14

to. Control. What

12:19

you find work in a shop com cafe

12:21

cold the Flora run by a friend. The

12:26

bright young sings of Tirana congregate

12:28

here to talk politics. It's a

12:30

place where elicit undergo newspapers a

12:32

distributed. What

12:34

it was found himself being drawn into something

12:37

exciting. A fledgling resistance

12:39

movement. Is not yet

12:41

communist as such. But. They're

12:43

anti fascist socialist and is becoming

12:46

more pronounced. Max

12:51

precisely when Hajime comes radicalized

12:53

as we might say is

12:55

unclear. Details.

12:57

Especially around his early is a murky.

13:01

With is largely because the first biographies

13:03

of Thought you overseen by the man

13:05

himself. As dictator,

13:07

he kept his personal story under lock

13:09

and key. Rewriting and

13:11

republishing it each time is

13:13

political situation required? We.

13:17

Do know however from those actually acquainted

13:19

with Haji was a young man. That.

13:22

In Tirana, he's well known to despise

13:24

the Italians. We also

13:26

know that as World War Two heats up,

13:29

The rebels fitting in and out of Hodges

13:31

can say get more organized. They.

13:34

Start to position themselves to make their move

13:36

and the time is right. There

13:39

ultimate plan to overthrow the

13:41

Fascists. Take back a country.

13:44

Place the old elites like

13:47

south as Albania's new leaders.

13:53

sort of yeah this is the emergence of

13:55

normal men have normal people people coming from

13:57

nowhere or having no relation to power and

14:00

they emerged the top of the power. Throughout

14:03

World War II, resistance movements across

14:06

Europe worked to frustrate their Axis

14:08

occupiers. Ennaboring

14:10

Yugoslavia, Josip Broz,

14:13

Tito to you and me, is

14:15

leading the fight as head of the

14:17

Yugoslav partisans. In

14:20

fact, Tito is working closely with the

14:22

Soviet strongman Joseph Stalin to

14:24

expand the influence of communism across

14:26

the Balkans. Albania's

14:29

proximity makes it the ideal friendly

14:31

neighbour. But

14:34

the local rebels there are going to need a bit of a

14:36

nudge. There wasn't

14:38

really much of a communist movement in Albania

14:41

during this period. Indeed, it's

14:43

reasonable to argue that by 1937, there

14:46

were maybe no more than 200 people who

14:48

would consider themselves to be communists. And

14:51

they were sort of broken up into

14:53

a series of squabbling

14:55

cells. And ultimately,

14:58

the Yugoslavs were responsible for

15:00

the creation of the Albanian

15:02

Communist Party. In

15:05

the early 1940s, Tito sends his

15:07

aid, Miladin Popovich to Tirana. Popovich

15:11

is a dapper young man, whose bushy

15:13

mustache hides a winning smile. His

15:17

charm is well suited to his mission, to

15:19

unite the competing factions on the Albanian

15:21

left. On

15:27

the 8th of November 1941, the new

15:30

and official communist party of Albania meets

15:32

for the first time. And,

15:35

somewhat surprisingly, Enver

15:37

Hocce finds his way onto the guest list.

15:41

In later pronouncements, Hocce the dictator

15:43

will claim that he was both

15:45

organiser and chair of this seminal

15:47

gathering. In fact,

15:50

originally, his name wasn't even

15:52

down to attend. Remember

15:54

that punch he threw at the Italian police officer?

15:57

That was at a demonstration earlier this very

15:59

morning. Since

16:01

then he's been laying low in Korcher. He's

16:05

been hanging out with the small group of

16:07

Communists there, and they've brought him

16:09

along to the meeting at the last minute. But

16:13

however he may have got there, the

16:15

former teacher soon makes his mark on the

16:18

class. As a

16:20

speaker he holds the room. His

16:23

intellect shines through, and

16:25

perhaps the biggest factor in Hodges' favour. This

16:31

makes him a viable spokesperson for

16:33

a key section of Albania's population.

16:37

Basically about 15 people got together

16:39

in Tirana to organise this party,

16:42

and all of the people from Korcher were

16:44

Orthodox, except for Hodges. So

16:47

religion played a role

16:49

there, there's no doubt. Hodges

16:51

came along again, not because he was

16:53

a leader, but because of the fact

16:55

that he represented Islam in a way,

16:58

and also because of the fact that

17:00

he wasn't really involved in the power

17:02

struggles between these various cells. Hodges

17:08

has made an instant impression on Tito's envoy.

17:12

With the Albanian Communist Party officially

17:14

established, a central

17:16

committee is assembled to run the

17:18

organisation under Popovich's lead. Enver

17:21

Hodger, who spoke so well at that

17:23

first meeting, is named as one of

17:26

the committee. And crucially,

17:28

Hodges starts acting as translator

17:31

at Popovich's subsequent engagements. In

17:34

this capacity, he'll become indispensable

17:36

to the Yugoslav puppet master. On

17:42

November 23rd, just two weeks later,

17:45

Enver Hodger attends another important gathering.

17:50

His purpose is to found the Communist Youth Movement. It's

17:53

here that Hodger meets a fiery young

17:56

woman called Nedjmir Juglini. At

17:59

twenty years old, she She is studying to be a

18:01

schoolteacher. She's attending

18:03

this meeting today as a representative of

18:05

the anti-fascist women, and

18:07

she's just signed up as a member of the Communists.

18:11

Hodger, some twelve years her senior, is

18:13

instantly smitten with this beautiful, intelligent

18:16

woman. The pair hit

18:18

it off immediately. Little

18:21

has been recorded about their courtship, but

18:24

we know that it's a brief one. She'll

18:26

propose to her in a matter of months. The

18:32

Albanian Communists are still under the guidance of

18:34

Pupovich, but to stand

18:36

a chance of winning popular support, they will

18:38

need to be led by an Albanian. Tito

18:42

tells Pupovich to pick the best man for the

18:44

job. In fact, the

18:46

envoy has already made his choice. His

18:50

loyal translator has shown an ability to

18:52

manage his more emotional comrades. At

18:55

party meetings, tempers often run hot,

18:58

and the former teacher always seems to know how to

19:00

calm the room. He

19:02

appears to rise above the petty factionalism.

19:06

At a meeting on March

19:09

18, 1943, Envohocce is formally

19:11

put forward for the post of first

19:13

secretary. Pupovich's

19:15

work in Albania is done. He

19:21

was sort of a compromised candidate in a

19:23

way. He was relatively

19:26

tall, based upon Albanian standards, and

19:28

had these sort of boyish good

19:30

looks, which he was 33, well-spoken, well-educated, in

19:32

many ways. Perhaps

19:40

not the ideal candidate, but someone

19:42

who others could rally around. World

19:47

War II rages on. Then

19:50

in October 1943, the Italians

19:53

ditch Germany and join the

19:55

Allies instead. They

19:58

begin exiting Albania. But

20:01

while Mussolini may be done with the country, Adolf

20:04

Hitler is not. The

20:06

Führer moves in. Albania is

20:08

occupied for a second time, this

20:11

time by the Nazis. But

20:14

it's a reactive move, a

20:16

desperate attempt not to concede territory. Hitler

20:20

never wanted to get personally involved here.

20:23

The Balkans were supposed to be Mussolini's

20:25

domain. And

20:27

as the Allies gain ground in Europe, the

20:30

struggle within Albania intensifies. There

20:36

were a series of focal points

20:39

in Albania, opposition to the first

20:41

of the Italians, but principally to

20:43

the Germans. The

20:47

Communists basically constituted one poll,

20:49

but we also have an

20:51

organization called the Balikombaatar, which

20:54

were nationalists who represented the

20:56

old landowning class. So

20:58

we've got the Communists, then

21:01

the nationalists. We've got a group

21:03

of Zogists, I mean, people principally

21:05

from Zog's tribal area in

21:08

the north who organized their

21:10

own resistance. And

21:12

then a whole series of independent

21:14

chieftains from the north of Albania,

21:17

whose principal goal was simply to

21:19

protect their own tribal area from

21:22

both the invaders, but also other

21:24

Albanians who they considered to be

21:27

as serious a potential enemy. So

21:29

there was this basically civil war,

21:31

if you will, going on at

21:33

the same time as a

21:35

struggle against the invaders. Ultimately,

21:38

more Albanians were killed by other

21:40

Albanians than they were by either

21:42

the Italians or the Germans. So

21:45

the succession struggle for

21:47

the post-war period began during the course

21:49

of the war. But

21:52

amidst all these various groups, the

21:55

Communists stand out as well organized

21:57

And the most adept at armed struggle. One

22:01

of the advantages that point

22:03

you have during the war

22:05

was he was the only

22:07

one that the Allies with

22:09

does supply and so the

22:11

British and particular provided him

22:14

with extensive amounts and arms

22:16

and ammunition clothing, uniforms except

22:18

for. This.

22:21

Allied aid strengthens the Communist Party's

22:23

ends. But. It's still an

22:25

anxious time for the new leader. Descends

22:28

from within could ruin everything. So.

22:31

I'll just sets about building the framework

22:34

of power that will define his long

22:36

reign. That

22:39

framework his loyalty. Loyalty

22:41

to the party. To Albania.

22:44

To. Him personally. Not

22:47

everybody in the party supportive of a

22:49

bitches nomination of him as leader. Hard

22:53

you decide. he must eliminate dissenting

22:55

voices. So he was able

22:57

to navigate at which point in his own

22:59

advantage was a very smart person. But.

23:02

Also very paranoid and the paranoia

23:04

was also an outcome of yes

23:06

fragility of his witnesses Because as

23:09

we all know, The

23:11

more week at a leader

23:13

is harsher, he becomes what

23:15

follows is a rapid escalation

23:18

into brutality. Party

23:20

members suddenly find themselves

23:22

kicked out, accused vaguely

23:24

of ideological deviation. Others

23:27

are labeled as disloyal to the central

23:29

committee. Or out decried

23:31

as secretly prophasias. And

23:35

First Exile becomes the weapon of choice.

23:37

But it's highly effective. Opponents

23:40

are found it out of the towns and

23:42

villages and. Culture

23:45

of Fear is putting down deep

23:47

roots. A soldier says

23:49

you're not a good communist, you're gone.

23:53

So hot zone sensible this form of

23:55

bought one that was course you because

23:57

people are terrorize or the other here.

24:00

and was also coercive through language. And

24:02

by imposing on people specific frames

24:05

of understanding the world, revisionists,

24:07

capitalists, enemies, friends, evolutionaries, Leninists,

24:10

heroes, traders, there was no

24:12

way in between. Later,

24:15

Hodges' rule will be marked by a distinctly

24:17

binary way of viewing the world, all

24:20

or nothing, for him or

24:23

against him. And

24:25

as his demands for unwavering loyalty grow,

24:28

his methods will become more extreme. Dr.

24:34

Shannon Woodcock is the author of Life

24:36

is War, Surviving Dictatorship

24:38

in Communist Albania. In

24:41

a small country which is

24:44

already patriarchal and

24:46

where a tall man commands

24:48

attention, he used that

24:50

alongside his willingness to execute

24:52

people and execute his

24:55

own comrades and

24:57

work with international allies

24:59

and sacrifice people who were close

25:02

to him in order to

25:04

consolidate power. By

25:06

May 1944, the German

25:08

grip has been loosened. The

25:12

Nazis still control Tirana just about,

25:15

but Hitler has little time to concern

25:17

himself with the governance of occupied Albania.

25:20

The country has become a retreat route for the

25:22

Axis forces. As

25:24

Hitler's troops head for the exits, they

25:27

continue to meet solid resistance from

25:29

the Albanian partisans. The

25:32

Germans' heavy-handed tactics play right into

25:34

Hodges' hands. The

25:37

Communists made it possible for

25:39

people to think in terms

25:42

of being Albanian and participating

25:44

in resistance, being

25:46

a patriotic thing. In

25:48

other words, more and

25:50

more people saw collaboration

25:52

with the invaders as

25:54

being un-Albanian. And this

25:57

is partially because of the fact that, again,

25:59

the Germans used... reprisals much, much

26:01

more effectively than the Italians.

26:04

But, you know, whenever they burned out

26:06

a village, they essentially created more and

26:08

more partisans because there were people who

26:10

simply headed up into the hills and

26:13

became part of the struggle against the

26:15

invaders. So there was this slow growing

26:18

sense of nationalism

26:21

and patriotism. On

26:26

May 24th 1944, Hodja

26:28

convenes the Congress of Permit, a

26:31

meeting of party members. Here,

26:33

a council is formed to act as

26:35

a sort of parliamentary assembly. They

26:38

resolve to ban King Zog from ever

26:40

returning to Albania. And

26:43

they elect an anti-fascist committee, headed

26:45

by Hodja himself, which has

26:48

all the attributes of a provisional government.

26:51

Meaning, that excluding Tirana,

26:54

Hodja now effectively controls large swathes

26:56

of the country. The

27:05

rebels have been effective in pushing out the

27:07

Germans, town by town. By

27:09

June 1944, they've arrived at

27:11

the Shikumbin River. Located

27:14

in central Albania, this

27:17

waterway has been a key defensive line

27:19

for the Axis forces. On

27:22

June 26th, Hodja orders

27:24

his first assault brigade to cross it.

27:27

The orders are clear. Claim the

27:29

border, push back the Germans, clear

27:32

the way to reclaim the rest of the land. But

27:36

a further command is issued. To

27:39

wipe out all local resistance movements,

27:42

non-communist movements, at

27:44

the same time. What

27:47

better way to eliminate domestic rivals

27:49

than during the chaos of battle? The

27:53

crossing of the Shikumbin River is a major

27:55

turning point in the Albanian Liberation War. It's

27:59

an even bigger milestone. for Enver Hödger and

28:01

his party. The

28:03

way to power is almost clear. He

28:07

may be known amongst Europe's communist leaders, but

28:10

there's still the matter of introducing Hödger to

28:13

the people of Albania. The

28:16

party issues a pamphlet entitled Enver

28:18

Hödger, General Commander of the

28:21

National Liberation Army. In

28:24

it, he's given personal credit for

28:26

seemingly everything achieved during the war.

28:29

It's a sign of the rewriting of history that

28:32

will follow. There is no

28:34

mention of Popovich and the Yugoslavs, or

28:37

any of the other independence movements. In

28:46

early November 1944, the

28:48

last of the occupying troops begin to move

28:50

out of Tirana, leaving the

28:53

capital open. Hödger's

28:56

forces move in. On

28:59

November 12, as the battle for Tirana

29:01

rages, 37

29:03

people are rounded up. They're

29:07

a mixture of fascist collaborators, intellectuals,

29:10

and former army officers who refuse to

29:12

take sides in the liberation war. They're

29:17

taken to the basement of a local

29:19

hotel and executed on the spot. Among

29:24

the dead are two of Hödger's own

29:26

cousins. After

29:30

20 brutal days, the battle

29:32

for Tirana is won, and

29:34

the first purge is complete. The

29:38

organization of the political structure

29:40

was almost fully in

29:42

place when the Germans finally left

29:45

to the point where there was no question of

29:48

who would lead Albania in the

29:50

post-war period. In

29:52

1944, when the Communists entered in

29:54

Tirana, nobody knew Hödger. Everybody

29:57

Was going in the streets to see who is this new

29:59

leader, Nobody knew. How.

30:04

To times as big a rival.

30:06

Carefully the answers. Tirana on Nov

30:08

the Twenty eight, the anniversary of

30:11

Albanian independence from the ultimate. He

30:14

steps out of his motorcade and gives

30:16

a clenched fists salute to mimic say

30:19

who the military commander who led the

30:21

liberation of the capital. Say

30:24

who responds and kind. In

30:27

the city Square a wide

30:29

platforms been erected. A large

30:31

crowd gathered humming excitement. Flags

30:34

flutter in the com frames. A

30:38

slow anticipate we class begins

30:40

and an Akita and ruff

30:42

the emergence waving. This

30:45

may well be Hodges most triumphant

30:48

day. Never again would he be

30:50

some genuinely revered. That

30:55

evening the Grand Bowl is held in

30:57

Tirana. At the Hotel Die T. It's

31:01

an unusually lavish affair. Or

31:04

table tend to issue this kind of opulence.

31:07

It's here that his fiance nudge

31:09

me it her first public appearance.

31:12

She remained steadfast the by hodges

31:14

side throughout his rue. The

31:17

day after the state Ghouls and of them of the

31:19

Twenty ninth. Poacher. Enters his

31:21

new office. It overlooks

31:23

the main boulevard in Tirana. He's.

31:26

Not officially the prime minister, yet.

31:29

No one is under any illusions as to

31:31

who's holding the reins. His.

31:34

Goal is clear. To rebuild

31:36

the country following the example of

31:38

his hero. Stunning. There's

31:41

no time to waste. What?

31:44

About a bubble Been able to

31:46

talk about a bogus talk about

31:48

Eastern Europe. It has always good

31:50

to see that as backward. the people

31:52

are backward. They don't understand that.

31:54

it and the elite have to

31:56

modernize them and soldier in great

31:58

video. and What was the elite then

32:00

was the Communist Party. They

32:03

were the elite that were going to transform the

32:05

country with iron fists and somehow

32:07

to overcome centuries of backwardness

32:09

and Ottoman rule. I

32:13

think he used Stalinism. It

32:16

was a means by which to stay in power.

32:19

Minhocha was smart enough to recognize

32:21

that communism as an ideology wasn't

32:23

something that was going to have

32:25

a great deal of impact on

32:27

this nation of peasants who were

32:29

principally illiterate. In 1939-1940, the illiteracy

32:31

rate in Albania was maybe about 85% or possibly

32:34

even higher. So

32:40

the notion of attempting

32:42

to turn these illiterate

32:44

peasants into communists, I

32:46

think, was ridiculous. So

32:49

what do you do? I mean, you

32:51

essentially set up an authoritarian, a brutal

32:54

authoritarian state. One

32:59

of Hodge's first actions in Tirana is

33:01

to set out severe punishments for anyone

33:03

who supported the fascists. Before

33:07

the first month of his rule is out,

33:09

60 prominent public figures are arrested

33:11

and brought before a special court,

33:13

the major criminals of war. The

33:17

so-called People's Tribunals have begun. The

33:21

judges were all basically illiterate peasants

33:24

and they were held

33:26

in the National Theater. It's

33:29

like a circus filled with

33:31

jeering spectators demanding executions. A

33:35

few months later, on April 13, 1945,

33:37

the people of

33:39

Tirana will be woken by blaring

33:41

loudspeakers. The din

33:43

heralds the verdict of the war crimes trial.

33:47

With 17 of the accused sentenced to death,

33:50

the rest are given prison terms of between 20

33:52

and 30 years. Only

33:56

Five are acquitted. Recently

34:00

tied the knot. Among

34:03

those to be executed is hodges new

34:05

brother in law. The

34:08

condemned see their property seized. Reprisals.

34:11

Fall on their families. It.

34:13

Was essentially a collective responsibility Misses the

34:15

same sort of thing that Stalin of

34:17

course, institute is. When. Someone

34:20

was sent into internal exile. In

34:22

most cases, the entire family, sometimes

34:24

even just people that he knew

34:27

who were sent along with you.

34:30

Sending the entire family into

34:32

exile months. The police arriving

34:34

in the middle of the night and

34:36

taking everybody in a car to a

34:39

village far away where they'd be points

34:41

in substandard accommodation. Often the local people

34:43

were kicked out of their homes and

34:46

those who are being persecuted will put

34:48

in the hands of the local villages

34:50

which of course brought new which is

34:52

between the community as well. The.

35:00

Landowners who sided with the Italians and the

35:02

Germans and kept their phones running. They.

35:04

To swiftly targeted. A

35:07

script Their titles. On. Their land

35:10

is expropriate is under the agrarian

35:12

reform law. In.

35:14

January Nine, Two Forty five, the extraordinary

35:17

war tax is levied. Up

35:19

to ninety two percent of profits earned

35:21

by trade is doing the was taken.

35:25

Those. Who do not or cannot pay

35:27

or arrested and imprisoned. Houses

35:29

cars and other assets and

35:32

nationalized. And. Bullets

35:34

purged political grapes The

35:36

bourgeoisie first. And. In Albania,

35:38

no one was rich so that. Came down

35:40

to anybody who had a collection. Of library

35:42

books. Taking people's clay's once they went to

35:45

prison so that people only had one. Set

35:47

of clothes and he had create the boys was

35:49

the as he persecuted them said the people who

35:51

I and the biggest. Houses in the village. Even

35:53

though they didn't have hardly any land, they'd. be

35:55

pissed uses the bourgeoisie and forcibly

35:57

transferred to another village It's

36:01

the beginning of collectivization in Albania.

36:05

Much like the Soviet Kolkhosis, Hajiwaan's

36:08

agricultural cooperatives. You

36:11

know Stalinism can be described

36:13

as simply being command socialism

36:15

under a brutal dictatorship. Rapid

36:19

industrialization, collectivization, centralization of

36:21

bureaucracy and heavy reliance

36:23

on security services to

36:25

make sure all of

36:27

this remains in place.

36:36

Enter the Sigurimi, a

36:39

secret police force set up inside the Ministry

36:41

of the Interior. They

36:44

operate similarly to Stalin's NKVD,

36:47

overseeing a system of surveillance and

36:49

denunciation. There

36:52

is also a lot of myth about Sigurimi,

36:55

but sometimes things are

36:57

efficient because they are based

36:59

on myth. And by

37:01

making people think and believe, Sigurimi

37:04

is omnipresent, his omnipotent

37:06

is everywhere. Even

37:08

if that's not true, but at the

37:11

moment that the myth circulates, people are afraid.

37:14

The uniqueness of life under

37:17

the socialist regime was that the

37:19

threat was invisible and that the

37:21

people you relied on for work

37:23

and food and education and living

37:25

in the system were the same

37:27

ones who would seal your

37:30

fate. On

37:32

Hajiwaan's instruction, the Sigurimi are

37:34

to create a file on every adult

37:36

citizen in the country. These

37:40

dossiers should include every available detail of

37:42

their lives, political beliefs,

37:44

family background, sexual

37:46

preferences. Whether

37:49

this level of coverage is ever achieved is

37:51

unlikely, but the

37:53

very idea helps to keep dissenting voices

37:56

quiet. from

38:00

the initiative to really think of

38:02

changing the world, of changing not

38:05

at least not the world but those small

38:07

things that give meaning to life.

38:10

So if they bow their head, keep their

38:12

head low, conform, never complain,

38:14

they will find. Albanians

38:20

find themselves defined by their past

38:22

or by their family's past. Moving

38:25

skeletons in your closet is referred

38:28

to as possessing a bird biography.

38:31

People are encouraged to actually print

38:33

and distribute posters, denouncing

38:35

their neighbours, co-workers or fellow

38:38

students. The Fletrufes

38:40

were printed denunciations

38:42

of the behaviour of people in

38:45

the community on big bigger than

38:47

A3 size pieces

38:49

of paper and formally printed

38:51

with nice calligraphy and

38:54

those denunciations could be something

38:57

like so-and-so was seen wearing

38:59

a short dress and talking

39:01

to a foreign tourist and then

39:03

that person would be ostracized

39:05

and called in front of the party

39:08

to explain their actions and

39:10

people lived in permanent fear of

39:12

being named in one of those

39:14

Fletrufes because it could destroy your

39:16

reputation and your biography. As

39:20

the denunciations roll in, the

39:22

number of political prisoners skyrockets and

39:25

they need to be housed somewhere. 39

39:30

new prisons are built, most

39:32

of them effectively labour camps for the mining

39:34

industry. It's not unusual

39:37

for 20 inmates to be stuffed

39:39

into a single cell of just 10

39:41

square metres. They

39:44

were brutal. There were a number

39:46

of them that were probably the

39:48

worst, watching Burrell in particular. People

39:51

died at an alarming rate. The

39:53

food tended to be poor, little

39:56

or no medical attention. They were

39:58

a same. It essentially meant, I

40:01

think, ultimately to see the death

40:03

of these people. All

40:06

of this is happening incredibly quickly. Hodger

40:09

took power less than a year ago, in

40:12

1944, as head of the interim

40:14

government. To become

40:17

the full-time permanent boss, there's

40:19

still the matter of a public vote to

40:21

manage. He needs that

40:24

final seal of approval. In

40:27

September 1945, Hodger announces

40:29

the creation of a People's Assembly. Its

40:32

members will be voted in by the public and

40:35

will be responsible for creating a new

40:38

constitution. When

40:40

it comes to the ballot, only

40:42

candidates from his own Democratic front, as

40:44

he names it, appear on the list,

40:47

along with a handful of independents. After

40:51

a short campaign, punctuated by

40:53

rampant propaganda and intimidation tactics,

40:57

the election is held in December 1945. Due

41:01

to the widespread illiteracy, voting

41:04

is done by placing a rubber ball

41:06

stamped with a black eagle in

41:08

either a red box for Democratic front

41:10

candidates or a black box

41:13

for independents. The

41:15

Democratic front wins all 82 seats. Did

41:19

formalities out of the way? In

41:22

early 1946, Enver Hodger

41:24

is duly tasked with forming a new

41:26

government in the name of the People's

41:28

Assembly. On

41:30

March 24, he's sworn

41:32

in as Prime Minister of the

41:34

newly declared People's Republic of Albania.

41:38

While he's at it, he takes

41:40

the titles of Foreign Minister, Defense

41:42

Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the

41:44

Army. The

41:46

only position of real significance that Hodger

41:49

doesn't claim is Minister of

41:51

the Interior. He leaves

41:53

that to his trusted comrades,

41:55

Kocisozi, a former Tinsmith,

41:58

who's proved himself fiercely loyal or

42:01

so it seems. Hodges

42:07

sweeping political and economic changes do

42:09

see some early wins. Education

42:13

reform will lead to radically improved literacy

42:15

rates. Much of the country

42:17

will be given access to electricity. The

42:20

spread of disease will be drastically

42:22

reduced with increased healthcare provision. But

42:26

the purges have already decimated the workforce.

42:29

These land grabs have taken farms from those who

42:31

knew how to run them and

42:34

handed them to those who don't. His

42:37

drive for industrialization may have created more

42:39

jobs, but the country lacks

42:41

both the expertise and the supply chains

42:43

to capitalise on this position. Albania

42:47

needs international support, preferably

42:49

from Hodges' point of view from

42:51

other communist countries. Since

42:54

assuming power, he's been

42:56

strengthening ties with neighbouring Yugoslavia. Albania

43:01

was thoroughly dependent upon

43:03

the Yugoslavs. The Yugoslavs

43:06

provided hundreds and hundreds

43:08

of experts and advisors

43:10

attached to every Albanian

43:13

ministry and every Albanian

43:15

economic establishment. They provided

43:17

extensive amount of material

43:20

resources, aid. They

43:22

essentially set up a customs union.

43:24

They set up these joint stock

43:26

companies where the Albanians were

43:28

required to sell their goods to

43:31

only the Yugoslavs at the ridiculously

43:33

low rates, I might add. On

43:39

March 14, 1948,

43:41

a formal union is actually approved

43:43

between Albania and Yugoslavia. It's

43:47

supposed to be a political alliance between

43:49

two like-minded leaders, with

43:51

Albania under Yugoslav's wing, but

43:53

retaining its autonomy. What

43:56

Hodges doesn't realise is that

43:58

Tito has other ideas. He

44:01

has Stalin's blessing to turn the

44:03

country into the seventh Yugoslav Republic.

44:08

Stalin really knew very little about

44:11

Albania, and at one point even

44:13

suggested to Jilas, one

44:15

of Tito's aides, that Yugoslavia simply swallowed

44:17

Albania, and there was no point in

44:20

it being an independent state. Tito

44:23

would prefer to work with Kochi Zozze, the

44:26

deputy prime minister and current minister of

44:28

the interior. Tito had

44:30

a problem with Hodja in the sense

44:33

that he considered him to be sort

44:35

of a middle-class intellectual, I mean not

44:37

really a worker, whereas Kochi Zozze was

44:39

the tinsmith. I mean he was probably

44:42

the only real worker in

44:44

the party at the time, at the highest levels.

44:51

Hodja is actually very close to being

44:53

maneuvered out of power just as he's

44:55

getting started. His

44:57

neck is saved in the neck of time. Before

45:01

Tito can move against him, a

45:04

rift erupts between Stalin and the

45:06

Yugoslav leader. Tito

45:09

has coordinated closely with Moscow, but

45:12

he doesn't merely want to be Stalin's lapdog. He

45:15

wants national sovereignty for Yugoslavia without

45:18

undue Soviet interference. He's

45:21

been resisting what he regards as

45:23

Stalin's excessive influence. In

45:25

1948, Stalin openly condemns Tito

45:28

and Yugoslavia for deviating

45:31

from orthodox Marxist Leninism.

45:34

As a result, Yugoslavia is

45:36

expelled from the Inform Bureau, an

45:40

organization established in World War II

45:42

to allow coordination between different Communist

45:44

parties. Tito

45:47

sticks to his guns and publicly

45:49

denounces the Soviet Politburo. This

45:52

marks the formal break between Yugoslavia

45:54

and the USSR. Ultimately,

46:01

the Soviet Yugoslav split plays right

46:03

into Hoxha's hands. An

46:06

existential threat to his leadership has

46:08

receded. In

46:11

the aftermath, he positions himself

46:13

even closer to Stalin, offering

46:15

Albania as a buffer against Tito.

46:19

Had the Soviet Yugoslav break

46:21

not happened in 1948, Hoxha

46:23

certainly would not have survived.

46:26

In that sense, he managed

46:28

to maintain his position really

46:30

more out of luck than

46:32

anything else. On

46:36

April 15, 1948, Stalin writes and Bahojah a letter. In

46:42

it, he warns the Albanian leader to beware

46:44

of Tito. He tells

46:46

Hoxha to guard against Yugoslav advances.

46:50

Hoxha writes back. He

46:52

requests guarantees that Moscow will not

46:54

allow Tito to attack Albania. He

46:57

also asks for a free hand

46:59

to purge his party of pro-Yugoslav

47:01

elements. The requests

47:04

are granted. With

47:06

Stalin's support for Hoxha there in writing, the

47:09

Communist Party of Albania officially endorses

47:11

the Soviet position. Yugoslavia

47:14

is classified as a hostile

47:16

country. Tocci

47:19

Zodze, the Deputy Prime Minister, tries to

47:21

put pedal on his support for Tito.

47:24

But it's too late. Hoxha strips

47:26

Zodze of his posts and expels him

47:28

from the party. In

47:31

November 1948, the ousted

47:33

deputy is put on trial and sentenced

47:35

to death. The

47:40

break with Yugoslavia changes the geopolitics of

47:42

the Balkans. It creates

47:45

a new landscape, one that

47:47

will both help and hinder Hoxha, as

47:49

well as fuel his paranoia. With

47:52

Tito going his own way, Albania

47:55

is now a Stalinist enclave in the

47:57

corner of Europe, cut off

47:59

from the rest of the East. Eastern Bloc. After

48:02

bringing with you with L was

48:08

no contiguous connection between

48:11

Albania, Bulgaria and Romania. There

48:14

was Yugoslavia between South was Greece.

48:16

So somehow Albania was already under

48:18

siege. Hodja

48:22

turns back to Stalin for guidance. Uncle

48:25

Joe has some sound advice. He

48:28

suggests the Communist Party changes its

48:30

name to the less divisive Party

48:32

of Labour of Albania or

48:34

PLA. He

48:36

also advises Hodja to take it steady

48:39

with collectivisation, to be

48:41

careful to conceal his hostility to the West

48:44

and to go easy when it comes

48:46

to punishing party opponents. Stalin,

48:49

of all people, is playing the

48:51

moderate, advising his understudy

48:53

to ease off a little. Hodja

48:58

accepts the party name change. As

49:00

for the rest, he'll do it his own

49:03

way, even

49:05

if that means being more of a Stalinist

49:07

than Stalin himself. After

49:15

two years of close alliance with the Soviet Union,

49:18

Hodja's Albania is now seeing

49:20

rapid industrialisation. But

49:23

despite the upheaval, many are

49:25

hungry and impoverished. Cues

49:28

for food wind around street corners. And

49:31

yet, the consequences of complaining

49:33

are so severe that it's

49:35

still preferable to keep one's head bowed. Enforced

49:39

by the Sigurimi, each

49:41

house must have at least one image of

49:43

Hodja on display. Every

49:45

party member from the grassroots up

49:48

must attend self-criticism meetings, where

49:51

they reaffirm commitment to the party and

49:53

examine any mistakes they may have made. Actually,

50:00

I've got no problems with myself. I

50:03

have nothing to denounce in my own practice. The

50:05

problem is entirely with Comrade and Ember

50:07

and the States. It was

50:09

always Uncle Ember has given us so much

50:11

and this is why my own work has

50:13

to be more focused on

50:16

the proletariat. People

50:19

acted as if at any moment

50:22

an unforeseen catastrophe could take

50:24

place and your family could

50:26

be deported, someone could be taken

50:29

from work and never come home again. This

50:31

happened to a lot of people and

50:33

it happened for no reason that

50:35

was foreseeable or it happened

50:38

for tiny infringements such as having

50:40

a photograph taken with your sideburns

50:42

too long and the

50:44

next week the mood changes and

50:47

everyone who had dressed in a particular way

50:49

was suddenly worried that their pants had been

50:51

too wide or their sideburns had been too

50:53

long. I think the

50:55

best way to sum up that time is that

50:58

life is war. That's what people

51:00

told me and that was

51:02

a common saying at the time, Geerteschlüft,

51:05

life is war. Unfortunately

51:15

for Hodger, his role

51:18

model may not be around to see

51:20

this Stalinist state come to fruition. On

51:23

March 5th 1953 Hodger

51:25

receives news that Stalin has fallen ill

51:28

and is in a critical condition. He

51:31

fires off a get well soon telegram. Our

51:34

hearts are in anguish and suffering. We

51:37

wish a speedy recovery to our dear teacher.

51:41

But Hodger's wish will not be granted and

51:44

Stalin's demise will see the tectonic plates

51:47

of geopolitics shift once again. Bring

51:50

Hodger and Albania into a new

51:52

uncertain phase. In

52:10

the next episode, as

52:14

a new premier takes charge in Moscow, Hoxha

52:17

makes a new friend in China. The

52:21

Albanian dictator tasks an entire

52:23

media industry with maintaining his

52:25

image to make him

52:27

look younger, fitter, stronger. But

52:30

as his country sinks into destitution and

52:32

his own health deteriorates, Hoxha

52:35

and Albania's isolation will be complete.

52:38

How will the country even begin to escape

52:40

his clutches? That's

52:42

next time, in the second

52:45

and final part of the Hoxha Story.