The Weight of History

1939 Italian invasion of Albania

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1933-1940 Mussolini’s Foreign Policy, 5.02 The Move To Global War

1939 Italian invasion of Albania

End result

Albania rapidly occupied → ruler King Zog I in exile in neighbouring Kingdom of Greece + country made part of the Italian Empire as a protectorate in personal union with the Italian Crown.

  • protectorate: Albania during this time period was known as Italian Albania or Greater Albania
  • personal union: combination of two or more monarchial states with the same monarch while laws, boundaries and interests remain distinct

Albanian background

  • 1912-1913 Balkan Wars: Albania forms as a state
  • 1915: in WWI, as part of the Allies, Italy seized Albania to use the port of Durrës to supply the Kingdom of Serbia, another Ally
    • occupation was short-lived, despite the entire point being to ensure the Austro-Hungarians wouldn’t get the south
  • 1920: Albania seized by Austro-Hungarian Empire
    • they’re just passing Albania around 😭
  • after WWI, Italy delineated Albania’s borders → prevented Greece from taking territory → assassination of Italian military officer and a short military conflict between Greece and Italy
  • 1928: President Zogu becomes King Zog I of Albania through manipulation of parliament and revisions to constitution

Why does Italy want Albania so bad?

  • economically, Albania is naturally rich in forests, fields, metals, petroleum
  • strategically, Albania’s ports are at the entrance to the Adriatic Sea
    • specifically, the port of Vlorë and island of Sazan
    • the Italians sought to construct military bases there for military operations in the Balkans
  • culturally, the Fascists prized Albania as part of the Roman Empire
    • they claimed that Albanians were ethnically linked to Italians through protohistoric Italic and Illyrian populations
    • the Roman and Venetian empires’ massive influence over Albania justified Italy’s right to possess
    • COMPARATIVE LINK: similar to 1938 Anschlus, where Hitler sought to reunite the Germanic people + Lebensraum
  • 1925: Italy penetrates Albania’s economy by exploiting its mineral resources
  • 1926: President Zogu of Albania signs the First Treaty of Tirana an Italian-Albanian alliance
  • 1927: Second Treaty of Tirana; Italian-Albanian defensive alliance
    • the Albanian government and economy are subsidised by italian loans
    • most of the military officers were Italian, and Italian military instructors trained
    • 📈 a third of Albanian imports came from Italy
  • 1931: Mussolini attempts to gain further control of Albania’s economy
    • by the agreement signed in Rome, Albania was granted a loan of 100 million gold francs, to be repaid at 10 million a year – only covering maintenance of government
    • country’s economy and finance floundered, ==exacerbated by the 1929-1943 Great Depression==
  • 1931: King Zog refuses to renew the 1926 Treaty of Tirana
  • 1934: Albania signs trade agreements with Yugoslavia and Greece → Mussolini sends a fleet of warships to Albania
    • desperate ex behavior… 😭

1939-1945 World War II era

  • ‼️ Hitler’s actions, and the lack of international response, emboldened Mussolini (see 1933-1939 Hitler’s foreign policy for more details)
    • 1938 Anschluss made Italy think it was becoming a lesser member of the Pact of Steel
    • 1939 Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia drove Mussolini to proceed with his annexation of Albania, depsite the Italian king’s criticism that it was unnecessary risk for negligible gain
    • Zog could establish a lasting dynasty through the imminent birth of an Albanian royal child – unacceptable if Italy wanted to seize Albania
  • 1939 25 March: Rome delivers Tirana an ultimatum demanding it consents to a full Italian takeover
    • Zog refused money for a full Italian takeover and colonisation of Albania
  • 1939 6 April: anti-Italian demonstrations in Tirana + 100 Italian aircraft fly over Tirana, Durrës, Vlorë dropping leaflets instructing people to submit to Italy
    • 💸 mobilization of reserves called
    • high-ranking officers left the country → government began to dissolve → people felt abandoned by the country despite King Zog’s opposition

1939 7 April: Invasion

  • original Italian plans called for 50,000 men supposed by 51 naval units and 400 airplanes
  • 📈 Italy sent 100,000 men and 600 airplanes, but only 22,000 men actually took part
  • 📉 Albanian army had 15,000 poorly-equipped troops trained by Italian officers (obviously, this is a tactical problem because Italy’s strategy will getcha getcha baby)

i love military history but the exact details are not relevant 😢

International response

  • 1939 7 April: Mussolini declares the official creation of the Italian Empire
  • 1839 April 15: Albania withdraws from League of Nations
  • 1939 June 3: Albanian foreign ministry merges into Italian foreign ministry
  • 1940: Albania follows Italy into war against the Allied Powers; serving as the base for the Italian invasion of Greece (though Albanian front lines massively desert)

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