Propaganda during the Communist Dictatorship

The exhibition "Propaganda during the Communist Dictatorship" presents aspects of political manipulation of the masses by the communist state using various forms of propaganda, such as articles and photographs in the press, official ceremonies, caricatures etc.

The propaganda on the Party's achievements and the people's contribution to socialism in Albania were accompanied by the destruction of private property and the glorification of the Party's role and its party-state leader, Enver Hoxha. It aimed to show the supremacy of communism over capitalism. Determining the role of propaganda in the creation of the New Man, who ought stick to the line of the Party and Marxism-Leninism, is of special importance to show how people were suppressed and their freedom of speech, lacking.

It was also used to create a uniformed society where class struggle was employed as a tool for injecting Party ideals and for eliminating political opponents. While the people were suffering the consequences of the failure of the centralized economic system, the lack of freedom of speech and political pluralism, and the marked indoctrination of the younger generation with Marxist-Leninist ideology, the propaganda of time shadowed all the failures and negative effects of the system by reflecting only the economic achievements and happiness characterizing the Albanian society. Only the collapse of the regime would put an end to this utopian reality.

The Communist Party of Albania (PKSH) was created on 8 November 1941 and renamed the Party of Labor of Albania (PPSH) in 1948. The Party's cult politics emphasized the Communist Party's leading role during the World War II in fighting Italian and German invaders. The magnificent remembrance of November 29th and various events during the war, especially of the congresses and plenums of the PKSH, were a clear expression of the fact that decisions were taken to consolidate its power, as in the Congress of Permet.

Anti-fascist insurgencies became the main source of legitimizing the coming of the PKSH after the World War II. By eliminating opposition voices, the PKSH paved the way for concentration of power in its hands. Any objection to the Party's directives was punishable by law and anyone who broke its line was considered "the People's Enemy" and them/their family condemned into exile, imprisonment or execution by firing squad. The party extended its power to every cell of the society. The press of the time was also put in its service, with newspaper headlines and slogans such as "Long Live the Party" or "Glory to PPSH" reflected the new reality designed and built by the Party-State.

Impressum

The exhibition was made possible by the Institute for Democracy, Media & Culture (IDMC), whose work aims at raising the awareness of young people and Albanian society about the dictatorship and its consequences.

The Albanian Central State Archives helped provide archive documents and pictures, and staff assistance.

Authorship

This exhibition was prepared by Brisejda Lala (PhD student) University of Tirana, as part of a one-year scholarship awarded by IDMC in 2017.

Its academic editors include Dr. Jonila Godole, director of IDMC and professor at the University of Tirana, and Dr. Gentiana Kera, professor at the University of Tirana, the Faculty of History and Philology, and researcher of the Albanian dictatorship period.

The layout was designed in collaboration with Iceberg Communication.

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to all the institutions and persons who helped make this exhibition possible: the Central State Archives (AQSH) for supplying most of the pictures and documents; the City of Durres Library and its staff for continuous assistance and for making available any magazines and newspapers within a very short time; all the people who helped develop this exhibition, especially Fatmiroshe Xhemalaj, a history expert, for her valuable advice.

Copyright

All photos, documents, texts and graphic presentations of this exhibition are copyrighted and cannot be used without the permission of the authors.

If you have questions about this exhibition, please contact us: office@idmc.al.

Want to Show this Exhibition?

The exhibition "Propaganda during the Communist Dictatorship" can be ordered by the interested persons in the DIN A1 format for a symbolic price and presented within the school setting, indoors or outdoors. For further information, please contact us: office@idmc.al.