Albanian Lictor Youth

Summary

Albanian Lictor Youth (Albanian: Djelmnia e Liktorit Shqiptar, Italian: Gioventù del Littorio Albanese, abbreviated G.L.A.) was a youth organization which served as the youth wing of the Albanian Fascist Party.[1] The Albanian Lictor Youth was one of the associated organizations of the Albanian Fascist Party, as stipulated in its statute, which was formulated in a decree of the Italian vicegerent issued on 2 June 1939.[2]

Albanian Lictor Youth
Djelmnia e Liktorit Shqiptar
LeaderGiovanni Giro
Founded2 June 1939
HeadquartersTirana, Albania
IdeologyFascism
Mother partyAlbanian Fascist Party

Giovanni Giro, an Italian fascist official, had been sent to Albania to organize a fascist youth movement there prior to the Italian annexation of the country.[3] However, these efforts had been largely unsuccessful.[4] On the contrary, his activities created various diplomatic incidents.[1]

Following the Italian invasion of Albania in April 1939, Achille Starace, a leading fascist organizer, was sent to Albania to set up the Albanian Fascist Party and the Albanian Fascist Youth.[5] ENGA, an Albanian youth organization modelled after the Italian Opera Nazionale Balilla organization merged into GLA. After the founding of the GLA, Giro remained the main organizer of the movement.[6] The GLA was modelled after the Italian Youth of the Lictor, and was politically under the command of its Italian counterpart.[7] The uniforms of GLA were similar to those used in Italy.[8] Girls were organized in Female Youth of the Lictor (Gioventù Femminile del Littorio) and boys under fourteen years of age were organized in Balilla groups.[9] Parallel to the Youth of the Lictor there were also groups of university fascists, but these groups were rather marginal as Albania had few universities.[1]

The Italian authorities built a marble palace for the GLA in Tirana, in the same complex as the Casa del Fascio, one of a series of lavish façades that popped up in the city during Italian rule.[10][11]

The organization's press organ was Liktori (Lictor) newspaper, with Ligor Buzi as editor.[12]

Ramiz Alia, who served as head of state of Albania in 1985-1992, had been a member of the fascist youth movement, but later left it and in 1943 he joined the Communist resistance movement.[citation needed]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Fischer, Bernd Jürgen. Albania at War: 1939-1945. London: Hurst, 1999. pp. 45
  2. ^ Lemkin, Raphael. Axis Rule in Occupied Europe: Laws of Occupation, Analysis of Government, Proposals for Redress. Clark, N.J.: Lawbook Exchange, Ltd, 2008. p. 275
  3. ^ Fischer, Bernd Jürgen. Albania at War: 1939-1945. London: Hurst, 1999. p. 11
  4. ^ Fischer, Bernd Jürgen. Albania at War: 1939-1945. London: Hurst, 1999. p. 13
  5. ^ Roselli, Alessandro. Italy and Albania: Financial Relations in the Fascist Period. London [u.a.]: Tauris, 2006. pp. 99-100
  6. ^ Fischer, Bernd Jürgen. Albania at War: 1939-1945. London: Hurst, 1999. p. 90
  7. ^ Trani, Silvia. L'Unione fra l'Albania e l'Italia Archived 2011-10-02 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Gioventù Albanese del Littorio Archived 2010-02-17 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Fischer, Bernd Jürgen. Albania at War: 1939-1945. London: Hurst, 1999. p. 51
  10. ^ Fischer, Bernd Jürgen. Albania at War: 1939-1945. London: Hurst, 1999. p. 68
  11. ^ Consociazione Turistica Italiana. Albania. Milan, 1940. p. 153
  12. ^ Trace Results on Alleged Nazi War Criminals (PDF), CIA, 1985, p. 2, archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04, retrieved 2015-11-06