An analysis of December, 1924’s Yugoslavia-backed overthrow of the Fan Noli’s Albanian government by Ahmed Zogu, to become King Zog I in 1928.

‘The “Insurrection” of the Albanians’ by Eramus from International Press Correspondence. Vol. 6 No. 9. January, 29, 1925.

The so-called insurrection in Albania broke out on Dec. 16th of last year. The ex-Premier Achmed Zogu a reactionary and a representative of the Albanian large landowners whose government had been overthrown by Fan Noli, and who had fled to Yugoslavia, organised the insurrection on Yugoslavian territory. After two weeks of sanguinary fighting, the “insurgents”, supported by Serbian soldiers and Wrangel’s counter-revolutionary bands, conquered the whole of Albania.

Fan Noli, accompanied by his Ministers, Generals and his Staff, fled from Valona to Brindisi (Italy) where he was given permission to land.

In this way Achmed Zogu has once more become absolute master of Albania.

What exactly, was the cause of this insurrection? It would seem that it had nothing in common with the previous one. This time it was not a fight between the different tribes or religious sects: Catholic “Miridites”, orthodox Serbs, Moslems and Greeks. The causes of this insurrection, which are numerous and complicated, must be sought elsewhere.

Fan Noli, the Albanian Prime Minister who has been overthrown, had promised to adopt a policy which would lead to a new organisation of the country, liquidate the feudal regime and divide the land among the peasants. In the month of January new elections were to have taken place; the new Parliament was to have worked out the Constitution and given the country democratic laws. Fan Noli had up to then not kept his promises, and thus weakened his own position.

Achmed Zogu and the other leaders of the insurgents large property owners and conservatives wanted at all costs to prevent the realisation of this plan of Fan Noli, who would finally have yielded, at least to some extent, to the pressure of the peasants, and thereby to save the feudal regime. The parliamentary elections might have strengthened Fan Noli’s position. For this reason the Conservatives did not let slip the favourable moment for the insurrection, the eve of the elections.

Achmed Zogu’s forces were not strong enough for an insurrection; he was forced to look for an ally, and found one in the Fascist government of Yugoslavia. Having experienced such an enormous rise since the imperialistic war, Yugoslavia could not reconcile itself to an independent Albania as a neighbour especially one in which Italian influence was predominant.

The Yugoslavian Imperialists Organised the Albanian Insurrection.

Yugoslavia intends to occupy the Northern part of Albania, in order to extend its base to the Adriatic. On the other hand, Pasic, the Yugoslavian Prime Minister, who at the same time owns large property in Kosov, is afraid lest the Macedonian peasantry, following the example of Albania, should demand the dividing up of the land. Finally, the Fascist government of Yugoslavia, on the eve of the Fascist elections in their own country, thought it advisable to turn the attention of the Yugoslav population to the “danger of the events in Albania”; this is why Pasic helped Achmed Zogu.

This is how Imperialism came to intervene in Albania.

From the first days of the Albanian insurrection, the Yugoslavian, Italian and English imperialists declared that they would in no way intervene in Albania, that they would remain true to the policy of “disinterestedness”. This was the old diplomatic hypocrisy. Facts have proved the contrary.

The whole world knows to-day, that Achmed Zogu organised the insurrection on Yugoslavian territory and that he was supported by Serbian soldiers and Wrangel’s bands.

As regards Italy, it is true, in spite of all Mussolini’s declarations, that two Italian naval units were despatched to Albanian waters. After Achmed Zogu’s first successes, the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs informed the English and French Chancellories that, if the Albanian government with the internal political programme of which the Italian government naturally did not wish to have anything to do in its own country could not hold the insurgents, favoured by Yugoslavia, in check, Italy, the nation which is particularly interested in the maintenance of order in Albania, would find itself compelled to assert its rights, which are recognised by the Powers.

The Conservative English Government played the chief part in the Albanian insurrection. The English imperialists are engaged in building up a further anti-Bolshevist and anti-Soviet front in Balkans. In Yugoslavia, Roumania and in Bulgaria they have just created a united front against the “Communist peril”, i.e. against the Union of Soviet Republics.

Fan Noli’s Government recognised the Soviet Union. And now the big bourgeoisie has the impudence to attribute the responsibility for the reactionary insurrection in Albania to “Bolshevist agents”.

And as soon as the plenipotentiary of the Union of Soviet Republics, Comrade Vrakotovsky, who had been recognised by the Albanian government, arrived in Tirana, the capital of Albania on Dec. 16th, the representative of England, supported by the representatives of Italy and Yugoslavia, protested against his admission to Albania.

England’s representative declared that Achmed Zogu’s offensive would have been prevented if Vrakotovsky had been sent back; thereupon the Albanian government called upon him to leave Albania; the plenipotentiary of the USSR returned to Moscow, but the English could not stop Zogu’s offensive.

Victory has remained in the hands of the insurgents, Achmed Zogu has become ruler of the country; but the slogan: “the land to the peasants!” has for the first time roused the peasantry. The masses of the peasantry will not long tolerate the yoke of the feudal regime, and sooner or later will rise against the big land-owners.

International Press Correspondence, widely known as”Inprecorr” was published by the Executive Committee of the Communist International (ECCI) regularly in German and English, occasionally in many other languages, beginning in 1921 and lasting in English until 1938. Inprecorr’s role was to supply translated articles to the English-speaking press of the International from the Comintern’s different sections, as well as news and statements from the ECCI. Many ‘Daily Worker’ and ‘Communist’ articles originated in Inprecorr, and it also published articles by American comrades for use in other countries. It was published at least weekly, and often thrice weekly.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/international/comintern/inprecor/1925/v05n09-jan-29-1925-inprecor.pdf