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Republic of Albania
Timeline: 1983: Doomsday
Flag Coat of Arms
Flag Coat of Arms
Location of Albania
Map of Albania
Anthem "Himni i Flamurit"
Capital
(and largest city)
Elbasan
Other cities Durres, Lushnje, New Tirana, Vlore
Language
  official
 
Albanian
  others Macedonian, Serbian, Romani
Government Parliamentary Republic
  Legislature Kuvendi
President Sali Berisha
Prime Minister Astrit Patozi
Area 10,771 km²
Population 1,380,449 
Established July 19, 2010
Currency Albanian lek

The Republic of Albania, often simply referred to as Albania, is a small parliamentary republic, situated to the west of Macedonia and north of Greece.

History[]

Doomsday[]

On September 26, 1983 the Albanian capital city, Tirana, being the capital of a communist country, was hit by nuclear missile from NATO forces. The Party of Labour of Albania, much its leadership and head, Enver Hoxha, were killed and the federal government collapsed. The end result of the attacks and collapse was the creation of a massive amount of refugees that were displaced all across the country, most of them from the area around former Tirana.

Post-Doomsday[]

After Doomsday occurred and a refugee crisis began, the army units in each prefecture declared martial law, and some of them began to declare their independence. One after another declared their independence and each were controlled by a communist dictator, the rapid rate of independence was so fast, that by January 1984, Albania was no longer a country. The refugee crisis died down in a few months as most got settled in any of the small countries. Each state worked quick to rebuild their economy and military, using old Albanian weapons. The Albanian economy, which had been based largely on agriculture, remained as such, but expanded in this role to make up a majority of the economies of post-DD Albania.

Rebuilding[]

Following the after-events of DD in Albania, the many resulting states continued to rebuild their economies and militaries as each state remained in balance of one another, none appearing to become more powerful than another. But as the 80's continued and the countries developed, some began outpacing others near them in economic and military strength.

As the 80's continued to develop, major and minor Albanian cities from prior to Doomsday regained their status as major economic centers, being in areas already used for large amounts of farming. These cities included Pukë, Korçë, Durrës, Vlorë, Elbasan, Berat, Lushnjë, Sarandë, Gjirokastër, Divjakë, Burrel, Peshkopi, Himarë, Përmet, and Shkodër. These cities grew many necessary plants, such as olives, grapes, citrus, grains, potatoes, vegetables, and the development of livestock. These countries began large development economically and militarily, and began plans to expand further into the countries around them. Many, such as Elbasan and Gjirokastër, began converting large parts of the local forest into farmland to increase their agriculture production. Eventually tensions between these states and the surrounding lands would boil over into a large-scale series of wars.

Albanian Civil War[]

What is now called the Albanian Civil War was actually a series of five wars fought by the five large Albanian states versus their surrounding neighbors. The wars started in 1993 and ended generally in early 1995. The first war was Shkodër vs. Lezhë and Kukës, the second was Durrës vs.Tirana and Lushnjë, the third was Elbasan vs. Fier, the fourth was Korcë vs. Berat, and the final was Burrel vs. Peshkopi. The actions of the war began with each of the states named first previously invading the other country/ies with their armies, and some of the larger states had access to old Albanian helicopters and were able to use those to their advantages.

The first war, fought by Shkodër vs. Lezhë and Kukës, lasted for little less than 2 months, from April to June of that year, and started with Shkodër invading Lezhë. First, the Shkodër First Army, of 7,000 men, moved from the city of Shkodër down to the city of Shengjin, a small port city on the northern coast of Albania. The city was guarded by the Lezhë Third Army, although this army was smaller than the attacking force, with only 4,000 men, they were instructed to hold the city at all costs, with it being in such a close proximity to the capital. The city was fought over for 3 weeks, until the final members of the Lezhë Third Army finally surrendered on May 2, 1993. The Army was however so damaged, losing about 1,200 men, they were ordered to wait and occupy the city temporarily. On April 29, the Shkodër Second Army, 7,500 men, marched from the city of Pukë to capture the city of Rreshen, which they did on May 16. It was at this time the armies were ordered to march south and west to launch a joint attack on the city of Lezhë. The attack on the city started on May 23, and officially ended on May 31, with the surrender of the Lezhë Second Army. Meanwhile, on May 16, the Shkodër Third Army, 6,500 men, marched east to capture the Tropoje, which they did on May 22. They then marched southeast to capture the capital city of Kukës from the Kukës First Army, which happened on June 3. The capture of Kukës by the Shkodër Third Army officially ended the first phase of the Albanian Civil War, but gave some of the other states ideas of how to gain power.

The second phase, between August and December, of the Albanian Civil War was Durrës vs Tirana and Lushnjë, with Tirana and Lushnjë already deciding that the signs of Durren aggression were troubling and agreeing to a two-pronged invasion. With a combined army of 14,000 men, the two invaded Durrës, and captured the city of Kruje with slight ease. In response, the Army of Durrës, made of 12,000 men, decided to let the enemy hold Kruje, and instead of retaking Kruje, invaded Tirana directly. The invasion came as a shock to the Tiranan leadership who ordered their army back into country, but after the disorganized retreat from Kruje lead many of the men of the 8,000 man army to be moved all over the country and Tirana quickly fell, as did their capital, New Tirana, which was a military tent city built out of the ashes of the nuked city at the time. Next, Durrës' Army moved into Lushnjë, whose army had also been disorganized after a retreat from Kruje, and failed to protect the pivotal city of Kavajë and lead to the Army of Durrës capturing the capital, Divjakë, in early December, ending the second phase of the Albanian Civil War.

The next three phases of the Albanian Civil War were relatively longer and somewhat bloodier than the first two phases. The war between Elbasan and Fier pitted the two armies, 14,000 versus 12,000, respectively, after a few more months of fighting Elbasan won and about 3,000 people died in that phase of the war. The fourth phase of the war, between Korcë and Berat, armies 13,000 and 9,000, was fought over a few more months and resulted in a major victory for Korcë, losing only 1,500 men compared to Berat's 2,400. The final phase, between Burrel and Peshkopi, armies 8,000 and 11,000, resulted in a surprising victory for Burrel, albeit a pyrrhic victory with loses of 1,500 versus Peshkopi's 600. With the Albanian Civil War completed, the former country was now divided up into five main pieces, as well as four smaller ones in the south, but the horror of the civil war and the large casualties lead a large-scale nationalization movement across Albania that would set the stage for future unification, prosperity, and the country's own destruction.

Re-Unification[]

Following the end of the Albanian Civil War, the Albanian Nationalist Movement became a major group of political influence and many people in the five remaining Albanian states believed a national reunification was necessary. After years of the people demanding this, in 1998 the five communist dictators agreed to meet in Durrës to discuss the idea. After the end of what was called the Durrës Conference the People's Republic of Albania was declared, it was a communist oligarchy run by the Supreme Council, made of the five strongest dictators from Shkodër, Durrës, Elbasan, Korcë, and Burrel. The naval remnants in control of the port of Vlore joined as well. The remaining southern dictators, who had been left alone in the fighting to avoid outside intervention, refused to join - which later proved to be good judgment. The day the new country was announced, August 12, was declared Albanian National Day, and was celebrated until the country's disestablishment in 2010.

Prosperity[]

The late 90's into the mid-00's was a very prosperous time for Albania as manufacturing was massively expanded on upon as the recently reunited states began to build up not only its economy, but also its military. The Supreme Council was able to pass the Rebuilding Act of 1999 which outlined a large increase in Albania's industry and manufacturing capabilities to be built upon for the next 7 years.

The steel industry came first as iron mines all over the country were either reopened or built, and a majority of this iron was sent to the developing Albanian cities where it was made into steel, and this steel was used for a multitude of things, from vehicles to tanks. Next came the fuel industry, as large amounts oil and natural gas reserves were soon discovered in the country's northern parts and this industry was soon nationalized and distributed all across the country based on each city's needs. The next few industries were introduced at a fast rate, mainly fishing, construction, and electricity, soon made way for the government controlled arms industry. The government controlled arms factories pumped out assault rifles in the hundreds and tanks in the tens every year. Another place where the economy was booming was the rapidly expanding New Tirana.

Just a tent city run by the military prior to, and during, the Albanian Civil War, following the end of the Civil War, it was territory of Durrës until reunification and afterwards had a population of just 1,200 people. However, after the Rebuilding Act was passed, many people began returning to the new city due to its pivotal position in Albania and acted as the center of Albanian trade. As the city continued to develop under the Rebuilding Act, much of the radiation had disappeared and the government began authorizing new building projects in the city and many new brick buildings, none taller than about 3 stories, were built. In 2004, the government began forced resettlement of people from around the country to work in the rapidly rebuilding Tiranan urban area. By 2007, when all of the government's projects in the city had been completed, the population had reached around 12,000. But as the Albanian economy began expanding, its government began to have potential interests in the outside world which would lead it to a collision course with another rising power in the Balkans, Macedonia.

War With Macedonia[]

Over the next year, demand for natural gas rose in many urban areas, and the expanding economy meant the Supreme Council thought it was time to break Albania's isolation. This cry was even more demanding after a bitter winter in 2007 left parts of Albania without sufficient food and supplies. In November of 2008, contact with the Kingdom of Macedonia was established and soon the two countries began exchanging ambassadors, and resources.

Details of the actions of Sicily forced the capital city to be moved from Durrës to Elbasan. Demands of Macedonian resources grew as Albania also began demanding Macedonian bio-fuel technology. After the Macedonian Assembly made a staunch refusal to their demands, reports from Macedonian intelligence offices reported of a build-up of the Albanian Army.

In March 2009, Albania began demanding military technology, such as tanks and artillery pieces, but ideas that such weapons would soon be used against Macedonia sparked fury in many members of the Assembly. Reports of further military build-ups along the border with Macedonia prompted the Macedonian Assembly to demand that the build-up be halted and the troops be disbanded, giving them a 72-hour deadline. After the 72-hours were up, on May 15, 2009, the build-up hadn't been stopped and Macedonia declared war, although preparing for defense instead of an offensive move.

The next day 60,000 Albanian troops of the Albanian First Army Group invaded Macedonia, these troops were mostly conscripts, under-trained and under-prepared for battle. Although many thought they could defeat the Macedonians by sheer weight of numbers, but the Macedonian defensive positions and machine gun nests caused a serious problem for the first wave of invaders.

As the rest of the Army Group flowed in, they were commanded by two of the five dictators who soon ordered a massive frontal assault to break through Macedonian lines. As the winter of 2009 set in, malnutrition and dissidence set in as the Albanian Army was halted by the defending Macedonian Army and their tanks, which the Albanian Army had no response to. And then as January came, so did reinforcements for the Albanians as 30,000 more men were brought in to fight the war, and they brought with them tanks.

A renewed Albanian advance in March of 2010 lead the Albanians to capture much of northwestern Macedonia, where they were met with fierce resistance. And while in these parts of Macedonia, they began committing atrocities on the minorities living in these areas. But a turning point for the war came on April 16, 2010, when the Albanian 4th Army attacked the Macedonia city of Gostiver with a force of 12,000 men. The Macedonians brought in the Macedonian 3rd Brigade, 3,000 men, a detachment of the army that protects Skopje. If the Macedonians lost, then they had lost a significant amount of Skopje's protection, making wide open to Albanian attack. But after 2 weeks of hard fighting, the 3rd Brigade finally won on April 30th when tanks that had been brought in 3 days earlier had finally broken through the Albanian lines and captured the Albanian 4th Army. A greater surprise came when it turned out the commander of the Albanians was one of the communist dictators. He was later sent to Skopje for interrogation, where he remained for the rest of the war.

On May 5, with almost all of the Albanian First Army Group either killed or captured, including the second dictator, the Macedonian Army launched Operation Молња (Lightning) with 40,000 men of the Army Reserves and 23,000 paramilitary soldiers, including all of the Army's tanks. After a short artillery barrage, the Macedonian Army advanced, punching a major hole in the Albanian lines. As the war progressed and fighting heated up, as many as 300,000 men were conscripted into the Macedonian Army to invade Albania.

The war finally ended on June 26, 2010, when the last remnants of the Albanian Army surrendered to 25,000 Macedonians at the capital, Elbasan. The five dictators were found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity and sentenced to death. On July 19, Republic Establishment Day, the five dictators were publicly hung in Shkodër and a new government was announced under a parliamentary republic as the Republic of Albania was announced. The people of the Republic were in rejoice as they had grown sick of the dictators and tired of the war. The former PRA was divided up so that the north was annexed by Macedonia, the center was the Republic of Albania, and the south, not having been part of that nation, was left alone as per both its wishes and a desire not to antagonize Greece more than needed. The Republic of Albania is today a Macedonia protectorate that cannot declare war without Macedonia's permission and must assist Macedonia when they go to war.

Government[]

The Republic of Albania is a parliamentary republic, the Kuvendi is the parliamentary body of the country, and the President is the Head of State and the Prime Minister is the Head of Government. The President serves for 5 years until the next general election when he is either voted out of office or reelected, but he can only serve for 2 terms. The Prime Minister, who is appointed by the President, is the head of government and head of the Kuvendi, but can only vote if they a vote is divided equally in the Assembly.

The Kuvendi, or National Assembly of the Republic of Albania, is the unicameral, 70-seat body that makes up the federal level of Albania's legislative branch. Members of the Assembly are elected in a general election, like the President, and serve for a five year term. But unlike the President, the number of terms they can serve is unlimited.

The Supreme Court is the federal level of the judiciary branch of the government, and it has 9 members that serve unlimited terms and are nominated by the President for this position, but the nomination has to be approved by the Assembly.

The current administration was elected on what is now the official election day, September 21. The election brought forth what are still the three main political parties of Albania, the conservative Democratic Party, the social democratic Socialist Party, and the centrist Unity Party. The members of parliament were elected and the result was a major victory for the Democratic Party, winning 52 seats, next came the Socialist Party, winning 15 seats, and the smallest number of seats won, 3 seats, was by the Unity Party.

Military[]

The Albanian Armed Forces are made up of the Albanian Army, Albanian Navy, Albania Air Force, and the Albanian Marine Corp. The Commander in Chief of the Albanian Army is the President, although Albania can't go to war with any country unless authorized by Macedonia. Also, when Macedonia goes to war, Albania must agree to help. The Albanian Armed Forces adopted conscription when the new government was created and currently possesses many weapons that were from the Socialist People's Republic of Albania and have been mostly updated by Macedonian and Turkish technology. As of today, with the conscription based military system, their are 100,000 men in the Albanian Armed Forces, 60,000 men in the Army, 35,000 men in the Navy, 4,000 men in the Air Force, and 1,000 men in the Marine Corp.

Army[]

The Albanian Army is the land force of the Albanian Armed Forces and has been in operation since the Republic's founding. Many of their weapons are Chinese and Soviet models from the days before Doomsday when they had been allied with either of them. Previously, the People's Republic of Albania had a large conscript army, a practice still used by Albania today, and the Republic's, like that of the Kingdom of Macedonia. From Macedonia, Albania had adopted many military practices, including biannual military exercises, along with semi-privatized arms manufacturing. However, unlike Macedonia, Albania produces most of their own weapons, including assault rifles and tanks, as they have built upon the self-dependence that Albania developed in the late-Cold War era. Today, the Army has 70,000 men in it and uses weapons which are mostly leftovers of the pre-Doomsday Socialist People's Republic of Albania.

Navy[]

As Durrës was the largest port in Albania prior to Doomsday, a majority of the Albanian Navy remained intact after Tirana was nuked. Albania's Navy makes it a prime reason Macedonia enjoys its vassalage, as Albania's naval capabilities give Macedonia a great naval empowerment in the Mediterranean. Like the other branches of the Armed Forces, the Navy possesses equipment from pre-Doomsday Albania combined with advancements made by Macedonia and Turkey. A majority of the 45 Type 25 Huchuan Class, originally from China before Doomsday, were recovered and many were transformed from torpedo boats to either gunboats, or some were built upon and made into small frigates. Also, the 4 Whiskey class submarines Albania had gotten a small re-haul and were made into more modern vessels. Currently, there are 35,000 people serving in the Albanian Navy, and a majority of the Navy is either in or around Durrës, and the navy currently possesses 80 vessels, mostly gunboats.

Air Force[]

The Air Force of Albania was a joke prior to the intervention with Macedonia, as most of their aircraft were MiG-19s, old leftovers from the 60's and 70's. During the Albania-Macedonia War the Albanian Air Force went into the air for the first time, flying their old MiG-19's versus the Macedonian's new MiG-21's. As the MiG-21 was made to succeed the MiG-19, the Macedonian Air Force totally outclassed the Albanian Air Force, and this allowed the Macedonian's J-22 Orao's to fly bombing missions against the Albanians. The Albanian Air Force was so outclassed, their fighters simply refused to get into the air. As of April, the situation for the Air Force was so bad, that the remaining dictators ordered all of the Air Force disbanded. Following the War, the Albanian Air Force was reformed so that all pilots were given professional, Macedonia-grade, and the old MiG-19's were given new upgrades into a hybrid aircraft called the MiG-20, basically MiG-19's with the newer MiG-21 engines and some of the new controls and wings. Today, the Albanian Air Force has 4,000 people in it, and uses the MiG-20 as its fighter and the Ilyushin Il-28 as its bomber, also with new upgrades, and recently 8 MiG-21's were transferred to the Albanian Air Force. However, due to the issue of the Second Yugoslav War, a project was put into the works which would transfer the MiG-21's back to the Kingdom of Macedonia while the Albanian's make use of the Chengdu J-7, a Chinese copy of the MiG-21 which were undergoing repairs in Albania.

Marines[]

Albania only contracted a Marine Corps following the war with Macedonia and continues to operate one today. Just like Macedonia, however, Albania didn't have a Marine Corps and only uses weapons that have been modified from their normal army weapons, but made to survive better in water. The Marine Corps currently uses amphibious landing craft that are supplied by the Macedonians and constructs some of their own. The current size of the Albanian Marine Corps is 1,000 men, and numerous assault craft.

Units[]

Another military change that occurred after the end of the Macedonia-Albania War was the restructuring of the Albanian military into new units, Army Divisions, Naval Fleets, and Air Wings, and in new bases. Each Army Division contains 15,000 men, divided into three brigades of 3,000 men, which are then divided into smaller units. Each of the 5 Naval Fleet is made up of 7,000 sailors, each with about 14 vessels in them, and divided into smaller flotilla units with 3,500 sailors and 7 vessels. The Air Force is divided into 4 Air Wings, each with 1,000 crew members, and about 20 or so planes, each also with 2 MiG-21's.

Units of the Albanian Army:

  • 1st Albanian Army Division (Based in Elbasan, to protect the capital)
  • 2nd Albanian Army Division (Based in Kavaja, to defend western border)
  • 3rd Albanian Army Division (Based in New Tirana, to defend northern border)
  • 4th Albanian Army Division (Based in Berat, to defend southern border)

Units of the Albanian Navy:

  • 1st Albanian Naval Fleet (Based in Durrës, defends northern shore)
  • 2nd Albanian Naval Fleet (Based in Durrës, defends Durrës)
  • 3rd Albanian Naval Fleet (Based in Durrës, defends central shore)
  • 4th Albanian Naval Fleet (Based in Vlorë, defends Vlorë)
  • 5th Albanian Naval Fleet (Based in Vlorë, defends southern shore)

Units of the Albanian Navy

  • 1st Albanian Air Wing (Based in Kuçova, to defend southern air space)
  • 2nd Albanian Air Wing (Based in Elbasan, to defend the capital)
  • 3rd Albanian Air Wing (Based in Vlorë, to defend southern shore)
  • 4th Albanian Air Wing (Based in New Tirana, to defend northern air space)

Economy[]

The Albanian economy is founded on three basic industries, fuel, manufacturing, and raw iron and steel. In recent years, their shipping industry has grown as they continue to be a naval link between Macedonia and its imports from west. Previous to the modern day, Albania's economy was basically all agriculture because of Albania's pre-Doomsday, self-imposed isolation. For a while after the country had broken up, agriculture became almost the entirety of the economy in some areas. Today, the economy is growing rapidly thanks to help from Macedonia, who's aid has allowed Albania to expand their small steel industry and open new factories. Also, the electricity, cement, and chemical industries have been revived and are expanding as the country rebuilds from decades of conflict.

In early 2011, massive oil and gas reserves were discovered in Albania, which has sparked a massive interest by both Albanian and Macedonian businesses to investigate into a new, domestic, source of oil and natural gas. The reserves are roughly split between the independent and Albanian and Macedonian-controlled parts of Albania, but the Albanian government has succeeded in securing their own rights to independent oil production from the Macedonian government. But regardless of location, the new oil reserves benefit both countries greatly, and seem to prove necessary in the near future.

Due to the current war with Serbia, the economy has suffered heavily as the entirety of Albanian economic strength has been pushed towards the Allied war effort. The agriculture of Albania has seriously helped the war effort as Albania has managed to keep its farms mostly intact while Serbian Scorched Earth tactics have left much of the farms in Northern Macedonia in ruins.

International Relations[]

Being a protectorate of Macedonia, Albania holds similar relations with each of Macedonia's allies, as well as its enemies. Albania has commonly had good relations with Turkey, and continues to still have them to this day, as the two continue to exchange ambassadors and have embassies in each others capitals. Albania has never had good relations with Greece, and after hearing that Greece had taken parts of southern Albania, relations soured. Although Albania has a consulate in the capital, Skyros, although Greece refuses to have a Greek consulate in the Albanian capital. Albania retains good relations with Serbia , as the two have exchanged ambassadors and hold embassies in each others capitals. They have historically had good relations since the later parts of World War II, and have had good relations since the re-establishment of the Albanian state. In compliance with Macedonia, Albania refuses to have relations with Sicily , believing them to be a state of tyrants and militants.

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