A Concise History of Albania
A Concise History of Albania
A Concise History of Albania charts the history of Albania and its people, within their Balkan and European contexts. It shows the country's journey from its ancient past, still shrouded in mystery and controversy, through its difficult transition from a particularly brutal form of communism to an evolving form of democracy and a market economy. Bernd Fischer and Oliver Schmitt challenge some of the traditional narratives concerning the origins of the Albanians, and the relations between Albanians and their Balkan neighbours. This authoritative and up-to-date single-volume history analyses the political, social, economic, and cultural developments which led to the creation of the Albanian state and the modern nation, as well as Albania's more recent experience with authoritarianism, war, and communism. It greatly contributes to our understanding of the challenges facing contemporary Albanians, as well as the issues confronting the region as a whole as it attempts to grapple with one of the last remaining significant ethnic issues in the Balkans.
- The first single-volume history of Albania in English in the twenty-first century, through to an up-to-date examination of contemporary politics, society, and economics
- Offers an objective evidence-based analysis of the origins of the Albanians in the Balkan context
- Explains why Albanians were the last ethnic group in the Balkans to develop a nation and a state
Reviews & endorsements
‘A pleasure to read, A Concise History of Albania … takes the reader on an impressive grand tour of what really matters in Albanian history. … Written for both an academic and general readership, the analysis of Albanian history here is particularly informative and stands as an invaluable contribution to the field.’ Abdullah Drury, The Muslim World Book Review
'Recommended.' H. G. B. Anghelescu, Choice
‘This is a great entry book for generalists or people taking advantage of Albania’s tourist boom and wanting to arrive in the country well informed … a successful and solid survey that introduces a European people that is often understudied and horribly maligned at the same time.’ Robert C. Austin, Jahrbuch fur Geschichte Osteuropas
Product details
September 2022Paperback
9781107662186
440 pages
215 × 139 × 22 mm
0.54kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Part I. Between Regional Self-Will and Imperial Rule:
- 1. The Space and Time of Albanian History
- 2. The Albanians in the Middle Ages, 500–1500
- 3. The Albanians under Ottoman Rule: The Classic Period of Arnavutluk, 1500–1800
- 4. Ottoman Arnavutluk in Crisis, 1800–1912
- Part II. State and Nation Construction:
- 5. Arnavutluk to Albania: The Triumph of Albanianism, 1912–1924
- 6. Interwar Albania, The Rise of Authoritarianism, 1925–1939
- 7. The Second World War and the Establishment of the Communist Regime, 1939–1944
- 8. Albania's Stalinist Dictatorship, 1944–1989
- 9. The Struggle to Establish a Democracy since 1989
- Political Leaders and Political Systems since 1912
- Select Bibliography
- Index.
