In the history of European communist dictatorships, the Albanian case deserves particular attention. Half a century of Albanian communism saw an attempt to apply the model of forceful industrialisation, combined with a brutal and multifarious indoctrination of society, to a backward country which had lived in traditional tribal structures. In Albania, the model of power which was called Stalinist in Europe proved particularly durable and impossible to verify through demographic and generational changes. This work is the first to analyse the process of the ideologisation of the state and its impact on the economic, social and cultural life. An important asset of the book is its extensive use of Albanian source materials as well as works of Albanian historians.

"The author has an excellent understanding of Albanians due to his very good knowledge of the Albanian language, even including local dialects. This enabled him to explore Albanian archives efficiently and to reach the people who created the most recent history of this unjustly forgotten country. The author is fascinated with communist Albania and Albanian communism, which had many features in common with the communism in Eastern and Central Europe, but also many distinctive and specific features. The author tries to establish how religions came to be outlawed and eradicated in Albania and what consequences this produced. In this regard, Albania was the world's pioneer. The significance of the subject matter, the attractive presentation, the precise construction, and the clear narrative should all combine to ensure that the English edition of the book gets a warm reception and speaks well of Krakow's historiography and Polish reflection on the subject of communism in general and Albania in particular."

Andrzej Chwalba