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Albania
From Independence to World War II
Organized military action had a negligible effect in attaining
national independence. Some revolutionary activity occurred during
the rise of Albanian nationalism in the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries. Albanian insurgents and Ottoman forces clashed
as early as 1884, but although Albanians resisted Ottoman oppression
against themselves, they supported the Ottoman Turks in their
hostilities with the Greeks and Slavs. By 1901 about 8,000 armed
Albanians were assembled in Shkodėr, but a situation resembling
anarchy more than revolution prevailed in the country during the
early 1900s. There were incidents of banditry and pillage, arrests,
and many futile Ottoman efforts to restore order. Guerrilla activity
increased after 1906, and there were several incidents that produced
martyrs but were not marked by great numbers of casualties. Although
it was disorganized and never assumed the proportions of a serious
struggle, the resistance was, nevertheless, instrumental in maintaining
the pressure that brought international attention to the aspirations
of Albanian nationalists who proclaimed Albania's independence
on November 28, 1912.
Albanian forces played a minor role in the First Balkan War of
1912-13, in which Bulgaria, Serbia, and Greece attempted to eliminate
the last vestiges of Ottoman control over the Balkans. At the
end of 1912, however, the Ottoman Turks held only the Shkodėr
garrison, which they did not surrender until April 1913. After
the Second Balkan War, when the Great Powers prevailed upon the
Montenegrins who had laid siege to Shkodėr to withdraw, independent
Albania was recognized. However, less than 50 percent of the ethnic
Albanians living in the Balkans were included within the boundaries
of the new state. Large numbers of Albanians were left in Montenegro,
Macedonia, and especially Kosovo (see Glossary), sowing the seeds
for potential ethnic conflict in the future (see Evolution of
National Security Policy, this ch.).
World War I began before Albania could establish a viable government,
much less form, train, and equip a military establishment. It
was essentially a noncombatant nation that served as a battleground
for the belligerents. However, during the war, it was occupied
alternately by countries of each alliance. In 1916 it was the
scene of fighting between AustroHungarian forces and Italian,
French, and Greek forces. In 1918 the Austro-Hungarians were finally
driven out of Albania by the Italians and the French. Albania
emerged from the war with its territorial integrity intact, although
Serbia, Montenegro, Italy, and Greece had sought to partition
it. Italy, in particular, had entered the war on the side of the
Triple Entente with the aim of acquiring parts of northern Albania
(see World War I and its Effects on Albania, ch. 1).
Ahmed Zogu created the first armed national forces of any consequence.
He served as minister of the internal affairs and minister of
war until 1922 and prime minister thereafter, except for a brief
period of exile in 1924. Before 1925 these forces consisted of
about 5,000 men, who were selected from Zogu's home district to
ensure their loyalty to him. In 1925 Albania began drafting men
according to a policy of universal conscription that was carried
out with Italian assistance and allowed a considerable degree
of Italian control. The initial drafts yielded about 5,000 to
6,000 troops per year from the approximately 10,000 men who annually
reached the eligible age. The Italians equipped and provided most
of the training and tactical guidance to Albanian forces and therefore
exercised virtual command over them.
Under pressure from a more proximate Yugoslav threat to its territorial
integrity, Albania placed its security in Italian hands in November
1927 when it signed the Second Treaty of Tiranė. The original
treaty, signed one year earlier, pledged the parties to mutual
respect for the territorial status quo between them. The successor
document established a twenty-year alliance and a program of military
cooperation between them. Thus, Albania became a virtual protectorate
of Italy, with the latter receiving oil rights, permission to
build an industrial and military infrastructure, and a high-profile
role in Albania's military leadership and domestic political affairs.
At about the same time, the Gendarmerie was formed with British
assistance. Although its director was Albanian, a British general
served as its inspector general and other British officers filled
its staff. It became an effective internal security and police
organization. The Gendarmerie had a commandant in each of Albania's
ten prefectures, a headquarters in each subprefecture (up to eight
in one prefecture), and an office in each of nearly 150 local
communities. For many years, it had the most complete telephone
system in the country. The Italians objected strenuously, but
King Zog, as Zogu became in 1928, relied on the Gendarmerie as
a personal safeguard against the pervasive Italian influence within
his regular armed forces. He kept the force under his direct control
and retained its British advisers until 1938. Zog also retained
a sizable armed group from his home region as an additional precaution.
Data as of April 1992
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