Enver Hoxha

Enver Halil Hoxha (ɛnˈvɛɾ ˈhɔdʒa; 16 October 1908 – 11 April 1985) was an Albanian communist politician who served as the head of state of Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985, as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania. He was chairman of the Democratic Front of Albania and commander-in-chief of the armed forces from 1944 until his death. He served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Albania from 1944 to 1954 and at various times served as foreign minister and defence minister as well. During his 40-year-rule, Hoxha's regime committed a series of political repressions which included the use of labor camps, a prolific amount of executions that targeted and eliminated dissidents, and evictions of families from their homes to remote villages strictly controlled by his secret police, the Sigurimi, which, like Nicolae Ceaușescu's Securitate, was strongly oppressive and ubiquitous. His rule was also characterized by the use of Stalinist methods to destroy associates who threatened his power. He focused on rebuilding the country, which was left in ruins after World War II, building Albania's first railway line, eliminating adult illiteracy and leading Albania towards becoming agriculturally self-sufficient. Hoxha's government was characterized by his proclaimed firm adherence to anti-revisionist Marxism–Leninism from the mid-1970s onwards. After his break with Maoism in the 1976–78 period, numerous Maoist parties around the world declared themselves Hoxhaist. The International Conference of Marxist–Leninist Parties and Organizations (Unity & Struggle) is the best known association of these parties today.