Delayed Democracy: Albanians’ Pathways to Post-Communism

Abstract

Albania experienced the harshest totalitarian regime in Europe for almost 45 years. The Communist regime in Albania was characterized by complete isolation from the rest of the world. The legacy of the past, which resulted in extreme poverty and the lack of a democratic culture, is the main factor inhibiting Albania’s democratisation. The central focus of this article is to evaluate the role of the Socialist Party during the transition from Communism to a democratic system. Albanian democracy faces a number of persistent challenges, thus making Albania’s post-Communist transition highly uncertain.