Albanian Fascist Party

Albanian Fascist Party
Historic Leader	Tefik Mborja
Founded	2 June 1939
Dissolved	27 July 1943
Succeeded by	Guard of Greater Albania (Garda e Shqipërisë së Madhe)
Headquarters	Tirana, Albania
Newspaper	Tomori
Youth wing	Djelmnia e Liktorit Shqiptar (GLA)
Paramilitary wing	Albanian Militia (MVA)
Membership	13,500 (1940)
Ideology	Fascism (Italian)
National affiliation	National Fascist Party
Colors	Black
Politics of Albania Political parties Elections

The Albanian Fascist Party (Albanian: Partia Fashiste e Shqipërisë, or PFSh) was a Fascist organization active during World War II which held nominal power in Albania from 1939, when the country was conquered by Italy, until 1943, when Italy capitulated to the Allies. Afterwards, Albania fell under German occupation, and the PFSh was replaced by the Guard of Greater Albania.

History

Establishment

On 25 March 1939, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini gave Albanian King Zog I an ultimatum demanding the acceptance of an Italian military protectorate over Albania. When Zog refused to accept, the Italians invaded on 7 April, and deposed him. Zog subsequently fled the country. Afterwards, the Italians re-established the Albanian state as a protectorate of the Kingdom of Italy.

On 11 April, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Galeazzo Ciano arranged for a group of well-known Albanians to "request" the formation of the Albanian Fascist Party (Albanian: Partia Fashiste e Shqipërisë, or PFSh). By the end of April, the government of Italy approved of its creation. On 23 April, Italian Fascist Party secretary Achille Starace, accompanied two Italian warships, arrived in Albania to officially announce the establishment of the PFSh, which was founded on 2 June. However, it did not receive its constitution until 6 June, and was not presented with an organized directorate and central council until March 1940.

Italian rule

The PFSh enacted laws that prevented Jews from joining it and excluded them from professions such as education. Composed of ethnic Albanians and Italians residing in Albania, the party existed as a branch of the Italian Fascist Party (Italian: Partito Nazionale Fascista, or PNF), and members were required to swear an oath of loyalty to Mussolini. All Albanians serving the Italian occupiers were required to join it, and it became the only legal political party in the country.

List of Ministers

Ministers Secretaries of the Albanian Fascist Party

• 1939-1941 – Tefik Mborja
• 1941-1943 – Jup Kazazi
• 1943 – Kol Bib Mirakaj

Ministers Secretaries of the Guard of Great Albania

• 1943 – Maliq Bej Bushati
• 1943 – Eqrem Bej Libohova

See also

• Albania between wars
• Military history of Albania during World War II

Politics of Albania
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Albania
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References

Print

• Bideleux, Robert; Jeffries, Ian (2007). The Balkans: A Post-Communist History. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-203-96911-3. 
• Elsie, Robert (2012). A Biographical Dictionary of Albanian History. London: I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-1-78076-431-3. 
• Fischer, Bernd Jürgen (1999). Albania at War, 1939–1945. West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue Research Foundation. ISBN 1-55753-141-2. 
• Frank, Chaim (2010). Petersen, Hans-Christian; Salzborn, Samuel, eds. Antisemitism in Eastern Europe: History and Present in Comparison. Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang. ISBN 978-3-631-59828-3. 
• Lemkin, Raphael (2008). Axis Rule in Occupied Europe. Clark, New Jersey: The Lawbook Exchange. ISBN 978-1-58477-901-8. 

External links

• States and Regents of the World: Albania