Cultural Differences Between Albania And Sparta

Introduction

Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union and Communism in 1991, the eastern part of Europe has been on a path to become more democratised. Several of the former communist countries have become members of the EU, and many others are striving to achieve the same outcome. However, the democratization process for these countries have been quite different. In Central Europe, countries such as Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia have all become members of the European Union rather quickly after the fall of Communism, while in the more southern part, namely the Balkans, the road has been more rocky and full of turmoil. Nonetheless, even though the Balkan states share similar experiences concerning democracy, there are differences between those countries as well. The Western Balkans is of particular interest as their road to democracy have been at odds with what happened in the other Post-Communist countries in Europe. Hence, an

In the past, Albania had been a part of the Ottoman Empire and, hence, not a part of the “industrialised” Europe, meaning that the country suffered from a lack of modernity compared to the West. Yet, Albania was first declared an independent country in 1912, the only country in this region to be fully independent before the 1990s. The independence of 1912 did not last long though, as rebels defeated the ones in power of the country and turned it into a monarchy. This way of rule lasted until the second world war. During the war, Albania functioned as an Italian protectorate and after the capitulation of Italy, it became occupied by German forces, hence, it was part of the Axis. However, after the war, the Communist party in Albania defeated the leading nationalist power in the country and established the People’s Republic of Albania, which was a Communist state led by the dictator Enver