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A part of llyra in ancient times and later of the Roman Empire was ruled by the Byzantine Empire.
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An alliance of Albanian chiefs failed to halt the advance of the Ottoman Turks, and the country remained under Turkish rule for more than 4 centuries.
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Gained its independence!
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Albania became a battlefield for WWI and after the war, it became a republic in which a conservative Muslim Landlord proclaimed himself king.
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He ruled until Italy annexed Albania.
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Communist guerrillas under Enver Hoxha sized power in 1944, near the end of WWII
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Hoxha eventually broke with Soviet comunism.
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From then on Albania went its own way to forge its individual version of the socialist state and became one of the most isolated—and economically underdeveloped—countries in the world.
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The Communist Albanian Party of Labour was in firm control of the country. In 1981, just before his retirement, Enver Hoxha had a number of Communist politicians excuted.
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Hoxha was succeeded by Ramiz Alia in 1982.