Fadil Hoxha facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fadil Hoxha
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| 2nd, 8th President of the People's Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija | |
| In office 11 July 1945 – 20 February 1953 |
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| Preceded by | Mehmed Hoxha |
| Succeeded by | Ismet Saqiri |
| In office 24 June 1967 – 7 May 1969 |
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| Preceded by | Stanoje Akšić |
| Succeeded by | Ilaz Kurteshi |
| 1st President of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Region of Kosovo and Metohija | |
| In office 1945–1963 |
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| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Ali Shukrija |
| Vice-President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia | |
| In office 1978–1979 |
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| Preceded by | Stevan Doronjski |
| Succeeded by | Lazar Koliševski |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 March 1916 Đakovica, Kingdom of Montenegro (now Gjakova, Kosovo) |
| Died | 22 April 2001 (aged 85) Pristina, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia (now Kosovo) |
| Nationality | Yugoslav |
| Political party | League of Communists of Yugoslavia |
| Occupation | Teacher, Partisan, statesman |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
| Branch/service | Yugoslav People's Army |
| Years of service | 1941–45 |
| Rank | commander |
| Commands | Albanian Partisans |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Fadil Hoxha (born March 15, 1916 – died April 22, 2001) was an important Albanian politician from Kosovo. He was part of the Communist party and fought as a brave soldier, called a Partisan, during World War II. After the war, he became the first leader of Kosovo's government. Later, he was also a member of Yugoslavia's top leadership.
Contents
Early Life and War Hero
Fadil Hoxha was born in Gjakova, a town in Kosovo. When he was young, he moved to Albania to go to high school. This was because there were no high schools teaching in the Albanian language in Yugoslavia at that time. He studied in the towns of Shkodër and Elbasan.
While in Albania, he learned about communist ideas. In 1939, when Fascist Italy invaded Albania, Hoxha joined the fight against the Italian occupation.
Joining the Partisans
In 1941, Hoxha returned to Kosovo and worked as a teacher. But soon, he left his job to help start the communist partisan movement in Kosovo. These were groups of fighters who resisted the occupation.
Hoxha quickly became a commander. He led groups of both Kosovo Albanians and Serbs. They fought against Fascism and Nazism, and against the Italian and later German forces occupying Kosovo.
Post-War Challenges
Hoxha played a key role in the Kosovo communist movement. They wanted Kosovo to have the right to decide its own future and possibly unite with Albania. This idea was discussed at the Bujan Conference in 1943.
However, the main Yugoslav Communist Party later canceled this idea. This happened because of pressure from Serbia. After the war ended in 1945, Kosovo became part of Serbia again, with only a small amount of self-rule. This made Hoxha less important in the party for a while.
Political Career and Reforms
Fadil Hoxha's influence in the Yugoslav Communist Party grew in the 1960s. This was especially true after a strict Serb leader named Aleksandar Ranković was removed from power by Josip Broz Tito. Ranković had treated Albanians unfairly, which the party later criticized.
Hoxha worked hard to improve Kosovo's status within Yugoslavia. He helped bring about changes that gave Kosovo almost the same rights as a republic in the Yugoslav constitution of 1974.
Developing Kosovo
Hoxha also pushed for more money and development programs for Kosovo from the federal government. This helped Kosovo grow its industries quickly during the 1960s and 1970s.
He also supported expanding schools and cultural places where people could learn in the Albanian language. This helped almost everyone learn to read and write. It also led to the creation of the University of Pristina in 1970 and a Kosovo Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Belief in Equality
Throughout his career, Hoxha believed in "brotherhood and unity" among different groups in Yugoslavia. He thought that Albanians, Serbs, and other groups in Kosovo and Yugoslavia should be equal.
Because Albanians in Kosovo had faced many challenges and were often poorer, Hoxha believed they needed special help. Kosovo had the most people who couldn't read or write in all of Yugoslavia and was also the poorest region. Hoxha always supported plans to fix these problems. This included more education for Albanians, more industrial growth in Kosovo, and fairer job opportunities.
High-Level Positions
Hoxha held many important jobs in Kosovo and Yugoslavia:
- He was the president of the Assembly of the Kosovo Autonomous Province.
- He received the special title of People's Hero of Yugoslavia.
- In 1967, he joined the top leadership of the Yugoslav Communist Party.
- In 1974, he became a member of the Federal Presidency.
- From 1978 to 1979, he was the Vice-President of the Federal Presidency. This was the second highest leadership job in Yugoslavia, right after Tito.
Later Years and Legacy
In 1981, Hoxha faced criticism from some Albanian groups in Kosovo. This was because he did not support the large protests that year, which demanded that Kosovo become a full republic. At the same time, Yugoslav leaders also criticized Hoxha for not stopping the rise of Albanian nationalism in Kosovo.
After Slobodan Milošević came to power in Serbia, Hoxha, even though he was retired, was attacked politically. People called him a nationalist and someone who wanted Kosovo to break away. Hoxha was removed from the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. In 1991, the Milošević government even tried him for treason.
Supporting Kosovo's Future
After retiring in 1986, Hoxha stayed out of public view and rarely gave interviews. However, he continued to support important movements in Kosovo.
- In 1989, he supported the 1989 Kosovo miners' strike. The miners were protesting against Serbia's efforts to reduce Kosovo's self-government.
- In 1990, Hoxha became a supporter of the Democratic League of Kosovo and its leader Ibrahim Rugova. They were working for an independent Kosovo.
- In 1998, Hoxha supported the armed struggle of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). He even met with a KLA representative and said he would join them if he were younger.
- He also supported the NATO intervention during the Kosovo War.
Fadil Hoxha survived the 1999 Kosovo War by staying in hiding. He passed away in 2001 from natural causes. He was buried with great honors in his hometown of Gjakova.
Published Works
Fadil Hoxha wrote a wartime diary called When Spring is Late. He also published a collection of his speeches and articles titled This is our Home. Both books were published in Albanian, Serbian, and Turkish. Later, an autobiography based on interviews with him was published in 2010.
Images for kids
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Fadil Hoxha, a leader of the Partisans in Kosovo.
