THE RESISTANCE OF THE ALBANIAN PEOPLE AGAINST VIOLENT DISPLACEMENTS DURING THE YEARS 1918-1941
THE RESISTANCE OF THE ALBANIAN PEOPLE AGAINST VIOLENT DISPLACEMENTS DURING THE YEARS 1918-1941

Summary/Abstract: This paper aims to elucidate the resistance of the Albanian people against the violent measures undertaken by Serbian political circles towards the Albanian population in Kosovo since the reoccupation of Kosovo by Serbian authority in 1918 and throughout the years leading up to the beginning of the Second World War. The reoccupation of Kosovo was accompanied by the reinstatement of military, civil, and administrative authority, and immediately initiated a policy that had been left unfinished from the Balkan Wars, which was based on the doctrine of ethnic cleansing. This policy had been inherited from the Načertanija of 1844, whose goal was the establishment of Serbian homogeneity and the creation of the so-called Greater Serbia. The continuation of this policy aimed to break the ethnic cohesion, especially of the Albanian people, through the introduction of Slavic colonists and the displacement or complete assimilation of the Albanian population. The re-establishment of Serbian authority in Kosovo was accompanied by a widespread wave of violent measures against the Albanian population, aiming, according to Serbian plans, to achieve their complete assimilation within a span of 20-25 years or to forcefully displace them. One of the methods was the confiscation of immovable properties, considering that the Albanian people relied on agriculture for their livelihood, and the forcible seizure of land without compensation meant that they had no other source of income besides agricultural. Hence, Slavic settlers began to be placed in their stead. The colonization of Kosovo continued throughout the existence of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes and Yugoslavia, from 1918 until 1941. To achieve these goals, Serbian authorities employed various violent methods such as killings, imprisonments, beatings, property seizures, tax penalties, etc. The Albanian people never accepted subjugation by the occupiers, thus opposition to this policy was inevitable. From the moment of occupation, the resistance of the Albanian people began. Initially, the leaders of the Albanian National Movement, their families, and their properties were targeted, prompting them to react with armed resistance against the authorities. Throughout Kosovo, and in other Albanian-inhabited areas, various violent actions were undertaken. One form of institutional terror by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was the disarmament of the Albanians and these caused the reaction of the people to be great. During this period, a significant number of Albanian activists stood out for their organization and leadership of the liberation movement and resistance. The „National Defense of Kosovo” Committee, based in Shkodër, and the Muslim Political Party, or „Xhemijeti” (Union), based in Shkup, played a special role. The main burden was carried by the Committee, which became the principal voice of Albanians outside the borders of the Albanian state. Its role was extraordinary in two directions: organizing armed resistance and diplomatically influencing the prevention of displacements, as well as raising awareness among the international opinion and the Great Powers about the Serbian crimes and massacres against Albanians.

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