Mehmet Shehu
Mehmet Shehu | |
---|---|
23rd Prime Minister of Albania | |
In office 20 July 1954 – 18 December 1981 | |
Leader | Enver Hoxha (First Secretary) |
Preceded by | Enver Hoxha |
Succeeded by | Adil Çarçani |
Minister of Internal Affairs | |
In office 23 November 1948 – 23 July 1954 | |
Prime Minister | Enver Hoxha |
Preceded by | Nesti Kerenxhi |
Succeeded by | Kadri Hazbiu |
Minister of People's Defence | |
In office 28 October 1974 – 18 December 1981 | |
Prime Minister | Himself Adil Çarçani |
Preceded by | Beqir Balluku |
Succeeded by | Kadri Hazbiu |
Personal details | |
Born | Çorrush, Fier County, Albania | January 10, 1913
Died | December 18, 1981 Tirana, Albania | (aged 68)
Manner of death | Suicide, Assassination (allegedly) |
Political party | Party of Labour of Albania |
Spouse | Fiqrete Sanxhaktari |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Battles/wars | World War II: |
Mehmet Ismail Shehu (January 10, 1913 – December 18, 1981) was an Albanian communist politician who served as the 23rd Prime Minister of Albania from 1954 to 1981.
In 1938, he joined the
As an acknowledged military tactician, without whose leadership the communist
Mehmet Shehu shared power with Enver Hoxha from the end of the Second World War. According to official Albanian government sources, he killed himself on December 18, 1981, after which his family was arrested. Persistent rumors remain, however, that Shehu was actually murdered on orders from Hoxha.
Early years
Shehu was born in
Shehu graduated in 1932 at the Tirana Albanian Vocational High School funded by the
Activity in World War II
In 1942, he returned to Albania under Italian occupation, where he immediately joined the Albanian Communist Party and the
After WWII
After Albania was liberated from the German occupation in November 1944, Shehu became the deputy chief of the general staff and, after he studied in Moscow, became the chief of the general staff. Later, he was also a lieutenant general and a full general.
In 1948, Shehu "expurgated" from the party the element who "tried to separate Albania from the Soviet Union and lead her under Belgrade's influence". This made him the nearest person to Enver Hoxha and brought him high offices. After the purge of Koçi Xoxe, he took over the Ministry of Internal Affairs.[4] However, he remained in Hoxha's shadow.
From 1948, he was a member of the Central Committee and the Politburo of the Party of Labour of Albania, and, from 1948 to 1953, he was a secretary of the Central Committee. He lost the latter position on June 24 when Enver Hoxha gave up the posts of Minister of Defence and Minister of Foreign Affairs while retaining the premiership. Hoxha was probably not willing to yield too much power to him. From 1948 to 1954 he was deputy prime minister (deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers) and Minister of Internal Affairs. The latter post made him commander of the secret police, the Sigurimi. In 1954, he succeeded Hoxha as Prime Minister. From 1974 he was also the Minister of People's Defence while from 1947 to his death he was a deputy of the People's Assembly.
Hard line man
During the war, Shehu won a reputation for brutality.
During the discussion at the Meeting of 81 Communist and Workers' Parties in November 1960, Nikita Khrushchev asked Shehu if he had any criticisms of Joseph Stalin, to which Shehu replied: "Yes, not getting rid of you!"[5]
Last years
Shehu was considered Enver Hoxha's right-hand man and the second most powerful man in Albania. For 40 years Hoxha was Shehu's friend and closest comrade. On his 50th birthday in 1963, Hoxha honored Shehu with his name being attached to the local military-political academy, becoming the "
On December 17, 1981, he was found dead in his bedroom, (lying in his bed, wearing sunglasses, a shirt and pyjamas) with a bullet wound to his chest. According to the official announcement on
After his death, Shehu was claimed to have been a spy not only for
Reportedly, Shehu had begun speaking out against Hoxha's isolationism. He had reached out to some western nations like Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany to see about making diplomatic ties.[8] Albanians speculated that Hoxha, who was in the last years of his life, wanted to secure his legacy and did not want a successor who might outshine him.[7] He was branded as a “people’s enemy” and was buried in a wasteland near the village of Ndroq near Tirana.
Shehu’s family was also punished. His widow,
A fictionalised account of Mehmet Shehu's fall and death is the subject of Ismail Kadare's novel The Successor (2003).
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8153-4058-4
- ISBN 978-1-4088-5398-6.
- OCLC 654529262.
- ISBN 9781628723946.
- ISBN 070300039X.
- ^ Agency, United States Central Intelligence (1963). Daily Report, Foreign Radio Broadcasts.
- ^ ISBN 9781479896684.
- ^ a b "Gen. Mehmet Shehu Dead at 68; Served Albania as Prime Minister". New York Times. 1981-12-19.
- ^ "Ish-ambasadori shqiptar në Argjentinë, Pirro Andoni: "Unë, ambasadori që rrëmbeva paktin e CIA-s me Mehmet Shehun"". Zani i Malësisë. 29 August 2017.
- ^ "Albanian Communist Leader Dies". Chicago Tribune. 1985-04-12.
- ^ Institute of Marxist-Leninist Studies (1971). History of the Party of Labor of Albania. Tirana, Albania: Naim Frashëri Publishing House. p. 309.
Having secured a footing in the Political Directorate, it concentrated its attacks on the General Staff of the Army and its Chief Comrade Mehmet Shehu who defended the correct line of the Party and the independence of the People's Army.
- ^ Institute of Marxist-Leninist Studies (1982). History of the Party of Labor of Albania (PDF) (2nd ed.). Tirana, Albania: 8 Nëntori Publishing House. p. 229.
Having secured a footing in the Political Directorate, it concentrated its attacks on the correct line of the Party in the military domain and the independence of the People's Army.
Bibliography
- Shehu, Duro. Mehmet Shehu: Im vëlla, Tirana, Bota Shqiptare: 2008.