| This dissertation seeks to establish that, regardless of the similarities created by a common Communist authoritarian past, the specific historical factors of East European countries, as well as their economic, political, geographical, cultural, and demographic differences, are likely to play a significant role in the current and future post-Conununist developments. Further, post-Communist transition in Eastern Europe is not likely to be linear, or uniform throughout the region, but will differ in a number of ways. It might lead to different outcomes and prospects in different nations.;Based on the assumption that the understanding of post-Communist transition requires not only analyses of general characteristics of the region as a whole but also---and in fact primarily---accounts on the specific circumstances of each individual country, this dissertation employ a case study approach, focusing on Albania. It argues that Albania's inherited social, political, cultural, and economic conditions have made its move from Communism the most difficult and violent of all the East European countries. These conditions are also likely to represent considerable obstacles to the establishment of a true democracy in Albania. At this point it seems clear that post-Communist transition in this country is driven by numerous poorly understood forces and faces a challenge that is without precedent, even when compared to other post-Communist societies. The legacy of the past, resulting in both the extreme poverty of the country and the lack of a democratic culture, is the main barrier to Albania's democratization, making its future highly uncertain. |
