Communists ruled Albania from 1946-1992.  During that time period, a single ruler Enver Hoxha ruled until his death in 1985

Upon taking power, non-communist politicians faced either death or the labor camps.  (Am I starting to sound like a broken record yet?)

Other parties were repressed and dissidents were either taken to the labor camps or they disappeared

The secret police were called the Sigurimi

During the communistic period, Albania was one of the hardest countries to both visit or to leave

(You ever notice that if communism is so great, why do they make it so hard to leave?)

Albania during communism suffered from inflation and low quality goods

Agriculture was collectivized

And artists and poets were often jailed

After Hoxha's death, Ramiz Alia (handpicked by Hoxha) took control

The economy was terrible and Albania had to receive foreign aid from several Western nations

When Alia found out about Nicolae Ceauşescu's (Romanian communistic leader) execution, Alia sped up reforms, hoping he won't meet the same fate

Student and worker protests in 1990 finally succeeded in forcing opposition parties.  In 1992, Alia finally fell from rule

Although it took awhile to recover from communism, Albania is now a safe nation to travel in.  And supposedly gorgeous.  On our travel queue

Isn't it funny how every communist story follows the same pattern?

By the way, I often get asked how come I know so much about this stuff?

To which I respond, why don't you know about this stuff?