When the USSR and the People's Republic of China had a falling out in 1960, China got Albania in the divorce. But given Albania's geographic position and  that siding with China would leave it isolated amongst the Socialist world why did Albania do so? To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.

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And when in 1960, the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China decided to go their separate ways, the vast majority of communist countries threw their lot in with the USSR.

But given Albania's proximity to the USSR and that picking China would leave it isolated in the socialist world, why did it choose to go with them?

So Albania became communist in the wake of the Second World War.

In 1946, the Albanian monarchy was abolished, which left the current Prime Minister, Enver Hoxha, as the unquestioned leader of the country.

At first, he had good relations with Yugoslavia except for 1 area of contention, Kosovo, which many in Albania wished to be incorporated into the country.

Naturally, Yugoslavia said no, but given Yugoslavia's influence over the country, Hoxha just had to deal with it.

This was until the Yugoslavians had a falling out with the USSR and so Hoxha opted to capitalise on this and sided with Stalin, who offered Albania both protection and lots of economic aid whilst Hoxha purged everyone in the government who was pro-Yugoslavia.

The thing with Stalin was that he was mortal, and his successor, Nikita Khrushchev, soon reduced aid to Albania.

And he further demanded that Hoxha reform his government to move away from Stalinist policies.

Hoxha believed that Khrushchev was weak, and his reforms and desire to coexist with the West would mean the end of communism.

Relations between the USSR and Albania slowly worsened until 1960, which was when Mao and Khrushchev had their own falling out over Soviet foreign policy.

The Chinese denounced the Soviets as weak, fake communists, and Hoxha sensed another opportunity whereby he sided with Mao.

Hoxha now openly called the USSR corrupt and tyrannical.

And 1 of the reasons he was comfortable doing this was that because unlike Poland and Hungary, the Soviets couldn't invade Albania without going through another state.

And also, Hoxha had built like a billion defensive bunkers to help repel any invasion.

After this, Hoxha built up good relations with China, who began to provide aid and protection to Albania whilst Hoxha purged the government of anyone who was pro-Soviet.

And China provided this aid and protection to Albania despite its own economic woes because Albania could provide something which the People's Republic of China didn't have, a seat in international negotiations.

China had a seat on the UN Security Council at this point.

However, this China was the Republic of China, based entirely in Taiwan, whereas the rest of China got nothing.

As such, Albania could raise issues on behalf of the Beijing government, such as constantly asking for a vote on recognising Mao as China's legitimate leader, which eventually passed in 1971.

Prior to this, the latest Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev, had tried to heal his country's relationship with Albania, but Hoxha wasn't interested.

And the end of this relationship was formalized in 1968 when Albania withdrew from the Warsaw Pact after its intervention in Czechoslovakia.

Which he could openly do because again, bunkers.

After this, Albania continued its path of close alliance with China.

That was until the Americans came knocking.

This saw Richard Nixon improve relations with China, which soon opened up formal ties with the USA.

And the 2 countries began a period of increased cooperation based on trade and not liking the USSR.

To Hoxha, this was a betrayal and he denounced Chinese leadership and again, he switched sides and purged the government of anyone pro-China.

This time, though, the side he picked was Albania's side.

Chinese aid to Albania soon dried up, leaving it without any major protector, and this saw the country enter a period of international isolation which would last all the way until Hoxha's death in 1985.

I hope you enjoyed this episode and thank you for watching with a special thanks to my patrons James Bizonette Mr Wolf Kelly Moneymaker Sky Chappell Rob D Martin Captain Psydog Marvin Casale Moe Aaron the White Adam Stalter Jordan Longley Boogalee Woogalee Gustav Swan Jerry Lambdin Rashid Ali Gareth Turner Maggie Patskowski Copper Tone Winston K-Wood, Spinning 3 Plates, Korshow Wolf, Marcus Arsner, Spencer Lightford, Matthew Shipley, The McWhopper, Alex Schwinn, Lil Breppin, TC, Robert Wetzel, Anthony Beckett, Charles I and Scottish Trekkie.


Speaker 0: Sometimes, countries don't get along. And when in 1960, the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China decided to go their separate ways, the vast majority of communist countries threw their lot in with the USSR. With the exception of 1, Albania. But given Albania's proximity to the USSR and that picking China would leave it isolated in the socialist world, why did it choose to go with them? Why did Albania side with Mao?

So Albania became communist in the wake of the Second World War. In 1946, the Albanian monarchy was abolished, which left the current Prime Minister, Enver Hoxha, as the unquestioned leader of the country. At first, he had good relations with Yugoslavia except for 1 area of contention, Kosovo, which many in Albania wished to be incorporated into the country. Naturally, Yugoslavia said no, but given Yugoslavia's influence over the country, Hoxha just had to deal with it. This was until the Yugoslavians had a falling out with the USSR and so Hoxha opted to capitalise on this and sided with Stalin, who offered Albania both protection and lots of economic aid whilst Hoxha purged everyone in the government who was pro-Yugoslavia.

The thing with Stalin was that he was mortal, and his successor, Nikita Khrushchev, soon reduced aid to Albania. And he further demanded that Hoxha reform his government to move away from Stalinist policies. Hoxha believed that Khrushchev was weak, and his reforms and desire to coexist with the West would mean the end of communism. Relations between the USSR and Albania slowly worsened until 1960, which was when Mao and Khrushchev had their own falling out over Soviet foreign policy. The Chinese denounced the Soviets as weak, fake communists, and Hoxha sensed another opportunity whereby he sided with Mao.

Hoxha now openly called the USSR corrupt and tyrannical. And 1 of the reasons he was comfortable doing this was that because unlike Poland and Hungary, the Soviets couldn't invade Albania without going through another state. And also, Hoxha had built like a billion defensive bunkers to help repel any invasion. After this, Hoxha built up good relations with China, who began to provide aid and protection to Albania whilst Hoxha purged the government of anyone who was pro-Soviet. And China provided this aid and protection to Albania despite its own economic woes because Albania could provide something which the People's Republic of China didn't have, a seat in international negotiations.

China had a seat on the UN Security Council at this point. However, this China was the Republic of China, based entirely in Taiwan, whereas the rest of China got nothing. As such, Albania could raise issues on behalf of the Beijing government, such as constantly asking for a vote on recognising Mao as China's legitimate leader, which eventually passed in 1971. Prior to this, the latest Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev, had tried to heal his country's relationship with Albania, but Hoxha wasn't interested. And the end of this relationship was formalized in 1968 when Albania withdrew from the Warsaw Pact after its intervention in Czechoslovakia.

Which he could openly do because again, bunkers. After this, Albania continued its path of close alliance with China. That was until the Americans came knocking. This saw Richard Nixon improve relations with China, which soon opened up formal ties with the USA. And the 2 countries began a period of increased cooperation based on trade and not liking the USSR.

To Hoxha, this was a betrayal and he denounced Chinese leadership and again, he switched sides and purged the government of anyone pro-China. This time, though, the side he picked was Albania's side. Chinese aid to Albania soon dried up, leaving it without any major protector, and this saw the country enter a period of international isolation which would last all the way until Hoxha's death in 1985. I hope you enjoyed this episode and thank you for watching with a special thanks to my patrons James Bizonette Mr Wolf Kelly Moneymaker Sky Chappell Rob D Martin Captain Psydog Marvin Casale Moe Aaron the White Adam Stalter Jordan Longley Boogalee Woogalee Gustav Swan Jerry Lambdin Rashid Ali Gareth Turner Maggie Patskowski Copper Tone Winston K-Wood, Spinning 3 Plates, Korshow Wolf, Marcus Arsner, Spencer Lightford, Matthew Shipley, The McWhopper, Alex Schwinn, Lil Breppin, TC, Robert Wetzel, Anthony Beckett, Charles I and Scottish Trekkie.

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Why did Albania Side with China After the Sino-Soviet Split? (Short Animated Documentary)