The territory of present day Albania has been inhabited since the middle Palaeolitic period (100,000 to 40,000 B.C.), but the first significant civilization dates from the Neilitic period (6,000 to 2,000 B.C.). The original people, the Illyrians, are the ancestors of the present day Albanians. Illyrians were skilled in the working of metals, and also engaged in trade and some piracy. These activities soon brought them into contact with the Greeks, who established colonies around 600 B.C. The Illyrian Kingdom came under attack from the Romans in the late 3rd century B.C., with Philip of Macedonia providing military assistance in 214 B.C. Aseries of wars culminated in Roman conquest and control in 167 B.C.
Despite Roman rule, the Illyrians retained their own language, customs and traditions. During this Roman period, which lasted until the 4th century A.D., Illyria enjoyed peace and prosperity, with the city Durres becoming a major Roman trading center. From the 5th until the 12th century, control of the region went back and forth between Byzantium (Constantinople) and the Bulgarians. Independent feudal states were established between the 12th and 14th century. After the Turkish victory over the Serbs in 1389, Albania came under Ottoman control.
From 1443 to 1468, one of Albania's brightest moments in history was their brief freedom from the Turks, led by their national hero, Gjargj Kastrioti (given the name Skanderbeg). From his fortress in Kruje, Skanderbeg led his fellow Albanians in some twenty five battles against the Turks. This brief period of freedom ended eleven years after Skanderbeg's death, with the Turks regaining control in 1479. For the next 433 years the Ottoman Empire controlled the country.
The decline of the Ottoman Empire, assisted by various insurrections, led to Albania's declaration of independence in 1912, with Ismail Qemali heading the first government. The Great Powers recognized Albania as an independent nation in 1913 after they had partitioned Albania, giving more than one-half of the country to Serbia and Greece.
In 1924, following the overthrow of Fan Noli, Albania was ruled by the despotic King Zog, whose own rule ended abruptly in 1939 following the invasion of the country by Mussolini. The Albanian Communist Party was founded in 1941, led by Enver Hoxha. Resistance against the Italians and later the Germans led to the liberation of the country from foreign troops in 1944. Albania was the only Eastern European country without the presence of the Soviet Army.
The People's Republic of Albania with Enver Hoxha as president was established in 1946. Following a break in relations with Yugoslavia in 1948, the removal of Sviet influence in 1960, and a deterioration in relations with China in 1978, Albania chose to follow a unique form of Marxism-Leninism. Albania chose to be isolated from most countries, becoming self-reliant in all matters. Albania's brand of communism was patterned after the form developed by Joseph Stalin. For forty years, Hoxha ruthlessly crushed all dissent and opposition, outlawed all religion, and prepared his country for a possible invasion from the outside world. The U.S., along with the Soviet Union, were the ultimate enemies.
With the death of Hoxha in 1985, the enormous weight of isolationand the atmosphere of fear began to be lifted. Following the breakdown of communism throughout Eastern Europe in 1990, Albania cautiously began to move towards true democracy. This quest culminated in the landslide victory of the democrats in 1992.