This text is a comprehensive history of Albania from the Italian invasion in 1939 to the accession to power of the Albanian Communist Party and the establishment of a "people's democracy" in 1946. The author analyzes Italian goals and objectives in Albania and explains the eventual failure of Rome's policy, the subsequent German invasion of the country, and the rise of organized resistance movements against the Axis Powers. The book is a reassessment of competing external interests in Albania and explores the great obstacles that the Albanian people faced in regaining their independence at the end of the war.