Politika e Perëndimit ndaj Shqipërisë gjatë krizës shqiptaro-sovjetike
The Western Politics towards Albania during the Albanian - Soviet Crisis

Summary/Abstract: The article "The Western Politics towards Albania during the Albanian - Soviet Crisis" deals with one of the most difficult and delicate times in the history of Albania. Albania's detachment from USSR and the rest of the countries of the Communist bloc marked one more cleavage inside the camp of the communist countries, weakening its unity even more. The Albanian - Soviet separation was accompanied by discussions, polemics and quarrels. Furthermore, it attired the attention of the western countries, especially of the USA and its politics. The United States, as a leader state of the democratic countries, would play a fundamental role in the definition and the formation of the position to keep towards the Albanian - Soviet crisis and would powerfully influence the politics of the other allied countries. The American politics attentively followed the Albanian - Soviet crisis, and tried to take advantage of it. The Stalinist nature of the Albanian regime and the identification of an ally on the Communist China and Mao Zedong, led the West to see Albania as a disruptive factor inside the Communist bloc, especially for the rapports between China and the USSR. Having good knowledge on the politics and the claims of the neighbors towards Albania, the American politics became a processor of the motto "take your hands off Albania". The particularities of the Albanian - Soviet crisis and the outlying interests of the USA on the Albanian matters made the Americans treat this case differently from the Soviet - Yugoslavian conflict of 1948. The Albanian Communist leadership never considered its orientation towards the western democratic countries a serious alternative. It simply made surveys on the re-establishment of the diplomatic relations with the United States and Great Britain, until the consolidation its strong rapports with the Popular Republic of China. This article was edited, principally based on the documentation found in the American and British archives, as well as in the Albanian documentary sources.

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