The Encyclopaedia Britannica, a widely used reference publication, traces Albania’s history from ancient Illyria and the Roman period through Ottoman rule, independence, the two world wars, communism and the establishment of democracy. Its report also follows the country’s gradual orientation toward the West and Euro-Atlantic integration.
The report highlights the Illyrian kingdom based around present-day Shkodra and the importance of Dyrrachium, today’s Durrës, on the Via Egnatia. It also examines the Ottoman period, including Skanderbeg’s resistance from 1443 to 1468 and the rise of Ali Pasha Tepelena. Britannica links Albania’s independence in 1913 to the weakening of Ottoman power after the Balkan Wars.
During the 20th century, Albania faced territorial divisions during World War I, Italian occupation in 1939 and a complex resistance movement during World War II. After the war, communist rule dominated the country for decades. Following Enver Hoxha’s death in 1985, Ramiz Alia introduced gradual reforms that eventually led to political pluralism in December 1990. The Democratic Party won the March 1992 elections, bringing the communist period to an end.
Britannica also reviews Albania’s democratic transition, the 1997 pyramid-scheme crisis, the 1999 war in Kosova and the arrival of about 450,000 ethnic Albanians, and regional tensions in 2001. It follows Albania’s path toward NATO membership in 2009 and EU candidate status in 2014. The report also covers the 2013 election victory of Edi Rama’s Socialists and Albania’s broader place in the Western Balkans.
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