Democracy in Albania: Shortcomings of Civil Society in Democratization due to the Communist Regime’s Legacy

Authors

Klevisa Kovaci, Fairfield UniversityFollow

Abstract

From 1946-1990, Albania was a Stalinist regime in which the state imprisoned, exiled, and executed dissidents routinely. After its fall, there rose a fragile democracy which civil society is charged with strengthening. A healthy civil society is essential to democratization and global citizenship, but Albania’s experience with communism deteriorated the people’s trust; it left a fearful population with a political culture and values unsuited for a democratic society with global citizenship, thus crippling civil society. While it has had some successes, Albanian civil society post-1990 has been largely ineffective in helping Albania to democratize because its internal structure and external environment are influenced by the Communist legacy.

Recommended Citation

Kovaci, Klevisa (2014) "Democracy in Albania: Shortcomings of Civil Society in Democratization due to the Communist Regime’s Legacy," Undergraduate Journal of Global Citizenship: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/jogc/vol2/iss1/2