Democratic Front (Albania)
Encyclopedia
The Democratic Front was an Albania
n political mass organization
formed on August 5, 1945 to succeed the National Liberation Front as the leading political movement for recently liberated Albania under the leadership of Enver Hoxha
. It was administered by the Party of Labour of Albania. Its newspaper was titled Bashkimi.
In elections it was the sole legal organization able to put up candidates during the communist period, which ended with the toppling of the government in 1991. It operated in these elections by selecting candidates from the ruling party, as well as affiliated mass organizations such as trade unions and cultural and women associations, along with candidates from industrial enterprises, agricultural cooperatives and collectives
, and the Army.
Membership in the Front, as well as the minimum age to vote and run for public office was set to anyone eighteen years of age or more. Having a Front membership card was important for gaining high-level work, as it signified a "class conscious
" person who would serve the Party
. During Albania's alliance with China its work was also seen as embodying the mass line
.
In 1946, a regional Front secretary in the prefecture of Shkodër
stated that: "The Democratic Front embraces all the masses of the people without distinction or creed; but the Democratic Front combats Fascism to the end, in whatever form it may present itself." In this respect the Front was similar to other Fronts organized by Communist parties
across Eastern Europe
during the anti-fascist period. By the 1950s, as the role of the Party was firmly consolidated and as the state was "building socialism," it became the "mass organ" of the Party of Labour, transmitting party policies to the Albanian citizenry at large and ostensibly promoting open debate and discussion within it and within the affiliated mass organizations. In his report to the Seventh Congress of the Party of Labour of Albania in 1976, Enver Hoxha referred to it as "this great political organization which realizes the unity of the Albanian people under the leadership of the Party, has wide scope of action in this field. In cooperation with the other social organizations, the Front is called upon to carry out all-round work with the urban and rural masses to make the policy, orientations and directives of the Party clear to them, to educate them in the spirit of socialist patriotism, revolutionary vigilance, combat readiness and irreconcilability towards all alien manifestations, to constantly strengthen and temper the unity of the people. The Democratic Front has been and remains a great tribune of the revolutionary opinion of the masses, a powerful lever of the Party to draw the working people into governing the country and solving problems of the socialist construction and the defence of the homeland."
As the communist system unraveled in 1990-1992 the Front initially served as a limited base for calls for political and economic reform under figures such as Ismail Kadare
. In November 1990 mass organizations including the Front were given greater autonomy from the Party such as being allowed to run their own separate candidates in elections.
Chairmen of the General Council of the Democratic Front:
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n political mass organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
formed on August 5, 1945 to succeed the National Liberation Front as the leading political movement for recently liberated Albania under the leadership of Enver Hoxha
Enver Hoxha
Enver Halil Hoxha was a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary andthe leader of Albania from the end of World War II until his death in 1985, as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania...
. It was administered by the Party of Labour of Albania. Its newspaper was titled Bashkimi.
In elections it was the sole legal organization able to put up candidates during the communist period, which ended with the toppling of the government in 1991. It operated in these elections by selecting candidates from the ruling party, as well as affiliated mass organizations such as trade unions and cultural and women associations, along with candidates from industrial enterprises, agricultural cooperatives and collectives
Collective farming
Collective farming and communal farming are types of agricultural production in which the holdings of several farmers are run as a joint enterprise...
, and the Army.
Membership in the Front, as well as the minimum age to vote and run for public office was set to anyone eighteen years of age or more. Having a Front membership card was important for gaining high-level work, as it signified a "class conscious
Class consciousness
Class consciousness is consciousness of one's social class or economic rank in society. From the perspective of Marxist theory, it refers to the self-awareness, or lack thereof, of a particular class; its capacity to act in its own rational interests; or its awareness of the historical tasks...
" person who would serve the Party
Vanguard party
A vanguard party is a political party at the forefront of a mass action, movement, or revolution. The idea of a vanguard party has its origins in the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels...
. During Albania's alliance with China its work was also seen as embodying the mass line
Mass line
The Mass Line is the political, organizational or leadership method developed by Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist during the Chinese revolution...
.
In 1946, a regional Front secretary in the prefecture of Shkodër
Shkodër
Shkodër , is a city located on Lake of Shkoder in northwestern Albania in the District of Shkodër, of which it is the capital. It is one of the oldest and most historic towns in Albania, as well as an important cultural and economic centre. Shkodër's estimated population is 90,000; if the...
stated that: "The Democratic Front embraces all the masses of the people without distinction or creed; but the Democratic Front combats Fascism to the end, in whatever form it may present itself." In this respect the Front was similar to other Fronts organized by Communist parties
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
across Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
during the anti-fascist period. By the 1950s, as the role of the Party was firmly consolidated and as the state was "building socialism," it became the "mass organ" of the Party of Labour, transmitting party policies to the Albanian citizenry at large and ostensibly promoting open debate and discussion within it and within the affiliated mass organizations. In his report to the Seventh Congress of the Party of Labour of Albania in 1976, Enver Hoxha referred to it as "this great political organization which realizes the unity of the Albanian people under the leadership of the Party, has wide scope of action in this field. In cooperation with the other social organizations, the Front is called upon to carry out all-round work with the urban and rural masses to make the policy, orientations and directives of the Party clear to them, to educate them in the spirit of socialist patriotism, revolutionary vigilance, combat readiness and irreconcilability towards all alien manifestations, to constantly strengthen and temper the unity of the people. The Democratic Front has been and remains a great tribune of the revolutionary opinion of the masses, a powerful lever of the Party to draw the working people into governing the country and solving problems of the socialist construction and the defence of the homeland."
As the communist system unraveled in 1990-1992 the Front initially served as a limited base for calls for political and economic reform under figures such as Ismail Kadare
Ismail Kadare
Ismail Kadare is an Albanian writer. He is known for his novels, although he was first noticed for his poetry collections. In the 1960s he focused on short stories until the publication of his first novel, The General of the Dead Army. In 1996 he became a lifetime member of the Academy of Moral...
. In November 1990 mass organizations including the Front were given greater autonomy from the Party such as being allowed to run their own separate candidates in elections.
Chairmen of the General Council of the Democratic Front:
- Enver HoxhaEnver HoxhaEnver Halil Hoxha was a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary andthe leader of Albania from the end of World War II until his death in 1985, as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania...
, August 8, 1945-April 11, 1985 - Nexhmije HoxhaNexhmije HoxhaNexhmije Hoxha is the widow of Albanian Socialist leader Enver Hoxha.-Personal history:Hoxha was born in Debar, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes; present-day Debar, Republic of Macedonia. She studied at a high school in Tirana. After the war, she continued her studies at the State University...
, March, 1986-December 29, 1990 - Adil ÇarçaniAdil ÇarçaniAdil Çarçani was an Albanian politician in the Communist regime led by Enver Hoxha. He served as the titular head of the Albanian government in the years immediately preceding the fall of the Communist regime....
, December 29, 1990-c.CircaCirca , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1992
See also
- Albanian parliamentary election, 1945Albanian parliamentary election, 1945Parliamentary elections were held in Albania on 2 December 1945. The Democratic Front was the only organisation allowed to nominate candidates, and won all 82 seats...
- United Trade Unions of AlbaniaUnited Trade Unions of AlbaniaThe United Trade Unions of Albania, founded in 1945, had tasks that were similar to those of the Democratic Front , but on a more limited scale. The organization's main goal was to carry out political and ideological education of the work force and to mobilize support for the implementation of the...
- Union of Albanian WomenUnion of Albanian WomenUnion of Albanian Women was an important mass organization in socialist Albania. The union was headed in 1990 by Lumturie Rexha, a member of the Central Committee of the Party of Labour of Albania. Its tasks mobilizing the political and social activities of the country's women, handling their...
- Association of Writers and Artists of Albania
- Labour Youth Union of Albania