Mehmet Shehu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mehmet Shehu
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Official portrait, c. 1950s
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| 23rd Prime Minister of Albania | |
| In office 20 July 1954 – 18 December 1981 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| Prime Minister | Himself Adil Çarçani |
| Preceded by | Beqir Balluku |
| Succeeded by | Kadri Hazbiu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 10, 1913 Çorrush, Fier County, Albania |
| Died | December 18, 1981 (aged 68) Tirana, Albania |
| Cause of death | ... |
| Political party | Party of Labour of Albania |
| Spouse | Fiqrete Sanxhaktari |
| Signature | .svg) |
| Military service | |
| Battles/wars | World War II:
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Mehmet Ismail Shehu (born January 10, 1913 – died December 18, 1981) was an important Albanian politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Albania for many years, from 1954 to 1981. He was a key figure in Albania's government after World War II.
He was a soldier who fought in the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s. He joined a group called the International Brigades. After the war, he was held in camps in France and Italy. When he returned to Albania, he joined the Albanian Communist Party and fought against the occupation during World War II. He became a leader in the National Liberation Army. Mehmet Shehu helped organize the liberation of Tirana, Albania's capital, on November 8, 1944.
Shehu was known for his strong leadership and military skills. He worked closely with Enver Hoxha, who was the leader of Albania for a long time.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Shehu was born in Çorrush, a village in southern Albania. His family was Muslim.
In 1932, Shehu finished high school in Tirana. He studied agriculture. He then received a scholarship to study at a military academy in Naples, Italy. He was expelled from this school in 1936 because of his support for communist ideas. The next year, he left another military school in Tirana to volunteer in the Spanish Civil War. He joined the Communist Party of Spain and became a machine-gunner. He rose to command a battalion in the Garibaldi Brigade. After the war, he was arrested in France and later sent to an internment camp in Italy. There, he joined the Italian Communist Party.
Role in World War II
In 1942, Shehu returned to Albania, which was under Italian occupation. He quickly joined the Albanian Communist Party and the Albanian resistance movement. In 1943, he became a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Because of his military experience, he quickly became a commander. He led the 1st Partisan Assault Brigade and later the 1st Partisan Assault Division of the National Liberation Army. From 1944 to 1945, he was part of the provisional government, called the Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation.
After World War II
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After Albania was freed from German occupation in November 1944, Shehu became a high-ranking military officer. He studied in Moscow and later became the chief of the general staff of the Albanian army. He also held the rank of lieutenant general and full general.
In 1948, Shehu helped remove people from the party who were seen as trying to separate Albania from the Soviet Union. This made him very close to Enver Hoxha, the country's leader. Shehu then became the Minister of Internal Affairs, which meant he was in charge of the secret police, called the Sigurimi.
From 1948, he was a member of the Central Committee and the Politburo of the Party of Labour of Albania. He also served as deputy prime minister from 1948 to 1954. In 1954, he took over from Hoxha as Prime Minister of Albania. From 1974, he was also the Minister of People's Defence. He was a member of the People's Assembly from 1947 until his death.
Last Years and Legacy
Mehmet Shehu was seen as Enver Hoxha's closest ally and the second most powerful person in Albania for many years. Their friendship lasted for four decades. In 1963, Hoxha even named a military academy after Shehu, calling it the "Mehmet Shehu Military Academy". Shehu played a role in forming Albania's alliance with China and breaking ties with the Soviet Union in 1961.
However, their relationship changed. Shehu's son married a woman whose family had connections to anti-communist groups in the United States. This caused problems for Shehu within the ruling party.
On December 17, 1981, Mehmet Shehu was found dead in his home in Tirana. After his death, the government claimed he had been a spy for other countries. This was written about in a book by Enver Hoxha. In 1982, the official history of the Party of Labour was updated, and all mentions of Shehu were removed.
Some people believed that Shehu had started to disagree with Hoxha's policy of isolating Albania from the rest of the world. He had reportedly tried to make diplomatic connections with Western countries like Italy, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
Shehu was buried in a wasteland near the village of Ndroq. His family, including his wife Fiqerete and two of his sons, were arrested and imprisoned. One of Shehu's surviving sons, Bashkim Shehu, later worked to prove that his father had been murdered. In 2001, it was announced that Mehmet Shehu's remains had been found.
The story of Mehmet Shehu's final years is told in a fictional way in the novel The Successor (2003) by Ismail Kadare.
Images for kids
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Mehmet Shehu's signature
See also
In Spanish: Mehmet Shehu para niños
