Part III: Of Manufacturing and Money

From "Defrauding Fascists: Italian Albanian Financial Relations 1925-1940" Alex Rose, University of Kansas, 1989)

Despite subsequent Fascist claims to the contrary, The Società per lo Sviluppo Economico dell'Albania and the 50 million Albanian Gold Franc loan it administered hardly represented an earnestly benevolent aid package from Italy to the nascent Balkan republic. Instead, a closer reading of the stipulations of the Italian aid and recently released documents reveal that Italian aid to Albania during the interwar period was a cold-hearted attempt to continue their penetration into the region. Lying just 60 miles off the Italian coast, Albania had become an arena of strategic interest during the waning decades of the Ottoman Empire. Eager to block Austro-Hungarian expansion and secure the entry point to the Adriatic, Italy began to seek to dominate the region, first commercially, and then politically and militarily. These attempts nearly bore fruit during the First World War and its aftermath as Italian troops occupied a large portion of the country while Albania was both promised to the Italians in the secret Treaty of London in 1915 and nearly partitioned during the negotiations in Paris 4 years later. Without international support and with increasing unrest at home, the Italian withdrawal from Albania in 1920 revealed that different tactics were required to secure the region. (1)

Instead of outright occupation, Italian policy towards Albania shifted towards the pre-war policy of intensifying economic and political influence in the country as such a policy offered many of the benefits of occupation without the associated diplomatic and economic costs. In this they also faced considerably less opposition from the Great Powers. Only Great Britain seemed poised to intervene when overzealous oil seekers associated with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company believed that the world's next great oil strike was about to take place in Albania. Yet when initial tests failed to produce the black gold bonanza, most within the Foreign Office were more than happy to support Italy's declaration of a "special mandate" over Albania in the 1921 Conference of Ambassadors. With America having returned to it's policy of Isolation and with Germany hamstrung by the Treaty of Versailles, only France remained to contest Italian influence and they too opted to focus their attention on the "Little Entente" of Yugoslavia, Romania, and Czechoslovakia when the expected oil strikes did not occur.

With her fellow Great Powers no longer interested, all that remained to see Italian plans come to fruition was the creation of a domestic pro-Italian bloc in Albania to grease the wheels of economic colonization. This too had long been a pursuit of the foreign office who sought to expand Italian soft power through every means from Jesuit missionaries to outright bribery. However even into the 1920s this approach had born precious little fruit as local Albanian politicians struggled to separate themselves from the pack. That all changed with the meteoric ascension of Ahmed bey Zogolli, later the infamous King Zog, but then an enterprising and energetic young chief who not only took part in driving the Italians out of Vlora but also secured the country's northern border against Yugoslavia in the early 1920s. In the early 1920s Zog built upon these military achievements to secure a position as Minister of the Interior and in turn used that position to dominate Albanian politics.

The only obstacle to bringing Zog under Italian influence lay in the fact that he was currently aligned with the Yugoslavs who had both sheltered him during his exile following the 1924 coup (2) and had provided a generous amount of support for his subsequent restoration. Zog, like a number of other Albanian politicians had received Italian funds in the past, but recent events had made it abundantly clear to the Farnesina (3) that prying the Albanian president away from Belgrade would require exponentially more funds. Fortunately for them, Mussolini was more than willing to oblige as part of a broader strategy aimed at reversing Italy's past "humiliations" and in In 1925, offered a gargantuan loan of fifty million Albanian Francs to develop the country.

Recognizing that this loan was likely the best offer Albania stood to receive in light of earlier failures to secure funds for development, Zogu accepted; hoping to continue playing European countries off one another in order to lessen the impact of the numerous concessions which came with the loan. Though all Balkan nations had high debt levels, after 1925 Albania stood alone in being so thoroughly indebted to one nation. The Italian loan was also further guaranteed by future Albanian customs revenues, Italian domination of the Albanian National Bank, and heavy Italian influence in the Albanian military. The Farnesina also continued their policy of buying the loyalty of as many of Zog's rivals as possible just in case the new President had any ideas of betraying them like he did the Yugoslavs.

Of course all of this behaviour was sheathed in the appearance of benevolence. The loan was officially administered as a separate corporation known as SVEA or The Society for the Economic Development of Albania (Società per lo Sviluppo Economico dell'Albania) headquartered in Rome along with the Albanian national bank. The entire loan was deposited there and the annual interest it gained used to pay off the first year's costs of servicing the loan while a one million franc advance was given to the Albanian government. The rest of the loan was divided into yearly installments and spent largely by the hundreds of Italian experts which flooded the country to build ostensibly vital infrastructure. Finally, not only was the loan's 7.5% interest rate exceedingly generous when compared to similar loans being handed out elsewhere, but Italian officials continually assured Zogu and other Albanians that they were quite willing to be flexible regarding repayment.

Any concerns from those concerned with the feasibility of Albania repaying such a loan were quickly brushed aside by Mussolini in favour of strategic considerations. According to the Duce the loan would promptly transform Albania into a "province without a prefect" and was thus well worth the cost. Italian strategic considerations were also paramount in how the loan was spent. The lions share was earmarked for the maintenance and expansion of the Albanian armed forces and what infrastructure that was constructed was done so with Italian military priorities in mind rather than Albanian needs. The loan also served to be a critical piece of leverage in securing Italian diplomatic hegemony in Albania through the First and Second Treaties of Tirana in 1926 and 1927. These treaties locked Albania and Italy into a defensive alliance and paved the way for future Italian economic, political, and military domination of the country. By 1928, most Italian observers echoed Mussolini's sentiments that Albania's inability to repay the loan would draw her ever closer to Italy and achieve complete hegemony at a fraction of the diplomatic and economic costs of a conventional invasion.

The Italians' true motives behind the SVEA loan and the associated aid were not lost on Zog, yet bereft of other options he chose to make the best of a bad situation. Though he constantly wished for a better British loan, Zog averred that Albania needed to modernize quickly in order to survive and Italian aid provided the best opportunity to accomplish this feat with no additional territorial losses. Italian aid also provided him with the prospect of the genuine domestic stability which was critical to his designs. Italian interference in the spending of the loans proved less conducive but Zog quickly came up with a plan to manipulate the politically driven spending. Cleverly manipulating "Oriental" stereotypes allowed Zog to quickly degrade his reputation for clever political maneuvering. Lavish purchases of an ornate white uniform along with other examples extremely wasteful spending promptly degraded his reputation and opened up further possibilities, the most notable being his coronation as King of Albania. (4)

While it is true that Zog's coronation did ultimately serve several practical purposes such as allowing him to consolidate political support in true Habsburg style by marrying all of his enemies and ultimately laying the foundation for Albania's successful emulation of the Westminister system after the Second World War, it's proximate purpose was to serve as the crowning achievement of Zog's campaign of misdirection. Not only did he succeed in fooling the Italians but his coronation was enough to firmly convince Kemal Ataturk that he and Zog were nothing alike, a stance he held in the face of increasing evidence to the contrary until his death in 1938. (5) Had he not engaged in such a thorough campaign of misdirection it is highly unlikely that his negotiations in 1928 would have been as successful as they were. A more direct approach might very well have alerted Italian authorities to Zog's ultimate plans which ran directly against their aims for his country and resulted in a much less favourable response.

As it was however, the Farnesina regarded Zog as just another Oriental despot with delusions of grandeur and an overinflated view of his own intelligence. So when he approached Baron Pompeo Alossi in October 1928 to negotiate the servicing of the SVEA loan he found an audience willing and eager to aid his frivolous spending and further draw Albania into Italian influence. That Zog was willing to secure these "frivolities" by agreeing to customs harmonization with Italy over the next 15 years seemed to be too good to be true. (6) Indeed, though it ultimately proved to be that way, at the time it seemed like an immense coup and was more than worth the potential headaches caused by Zogs new "royal" marriage policy. At no point were any intelligence assets diverted to ascertain the business acumen of the new Albanian king nor was any move made to monitor the flurry of correspondence now leaving the royal residence for nearly three years.

Thus in an often overlooked stunning turn of events, Zog effectively convinced the administrators of the SVEA loan to unwittingly lay the foundations for the ultimate end of Italian dominance. Zogist interference caused plans for a grand fascist inspired capital in Tirana to be shelved in favour of the rapid development of the port of Durres. Though many of the architects involved in the project attempted to push through their designs, the King's constant meddling and desire to construct an entirely new capital city ultimately led them to redirect their efforts. Instead, millions of francs poured into the port city and the surrounding area. Swamps were drained, roads built, and most importantly to the Italians, a massive expansion of the port facilities took place. Amidst all the chaos and Italian exuberance over the construction of what they saw as a key foothold in the Balkans, Zog's successful sequestering of several million Francs from the SVEA loan for the construction of a handful of factories almost went unnoticed. (7)

Of course in the grand scheme of things, the Italians were completely aware of Zog's efforts in setting up FMSh and in fact eagerly supported it during the early years. Every franc spent on a useless factory and on legal expenses for what seemed like baubles was a franc that wasn't spent on "genuine" Albanian development. The advent of the Great Depression only added to the anticipation before the end of the 2 year SVEA payment moratorium Zog had negotiated in 1928. Even after Zog's investment in the East Texas oil field bore fruit, all observers expected Albania to be unable to pay the 8 million francs required to service the loan under the new agreement Zog had negotiated in 1928. The leverage provided by such a titanic payment, coupled with the ongoing Great Depression devastating prospects for Albanian exports, also inadvertently coincided with the upcoming expiry of the Treaty of Tirana in 1931. Plans to begin negotiations had already begun when Zog announced that he had liquidated part of his assets to personally pay the accumulated servicing costs of the SVEA loan. (8)

Zog's sudden willingness to put the prosperity of Albania ahead of his own came as an utter shock to not only Musssolini, but to everyone within both the Italian foreign office. No one had planned for the Albanian king to personally service the SVEA loan, and in American dollars during the Great Depression no less! Though figures such as Ciano would later single out this moment as a critical failure for Italy's imperialistic aims in the Balkans, a proper consideration of the event's context reveals why no one considered refusing Zog's payment. Economics, future opportunities, and a refusal to believe in Zog's business acumen all combined to set up one of Fascist Italy's most catastrophic policy failures.

In 1930 however, accepting over two million US dollars from the Albanian monarch seemed to be anything but. Italian internal memos and Italian papers referred to Zog as a "golden goose" who was reimbursing Italians for their economic colonization of his country. Moreover he had done so in such a way which dramatically improved Italian trade with America and strengthened its economy at a time in which the Italian economy was struggling. When coupled with the prospect of further, admittedly smaller, payments along similar lines, no Italian official proposed to interfere for the sake of Italian interests. After all, Zog was also putting a considerable amount of his newfound wealth into the Albanian economy, giving the Albanian people money with which they predominantly purchased Italian goods. Given the fact that the SVEA loan had already been spent by this point, Baron Aloisi confidently proclaimed that Italy would be able to benefit from Albania while simultaneously increasing it's control over the economy. Zog's string of excellent luck was due to run out and having taken its share, Italy would be ready to step into the gap.

Few expected that the factories Zog had funnelled so many francs from the SVEA loan into would turn a profit. For most observers they represented nothing more than a vanity project along the lines of rebuilding his family's residence at Burgajet. (9) No one connected Zog's industrial ambitions to the tarrif negotiations which followed his coronation, instead believing the gradual slide towards a customs union to be the price of his coronation and marriage policy. Even when the factories shocked all observers, the prospect of a full customs union in 1943 led Mussolini and many within the foreign ministry to adopt a patient approach with Albania. After all, to suddenly change course would not only prevent more of Zog's American dollars from arriving in Italy but also negate the considerable amounts already invested into the small Balkan country.

Castle Burgajet.jpg

Ruins of Burgagjet in OTL. Following the "liberation" of Albania by the Communists, the ruins were torn down and lands incorporated into one of the nation's first collective farms.​

Gjirokaster, Albania. February 6, 1930

This was it.

Truth be told, as much as he had dreamed of this day, the approaching moment came with a distinctive bittersweet feeling. As much as he anticipated the relief of at long last being freed from his imprisonment, Zogu bemoaned the loss of a chance, however small it may be, to regain control of his body. Yet part of him wondered if even in such a case if he would be able to equal the American's feats over the past 18 months even with the rest of his life ahead of him. It seemed like every time Jack took advantage of his foreknowledge he reminded Zogu of the failure he had been in his history confirming the nagging fear Zogu had that the inspiration and circumstances he had been expecting when he reached the throne indeed never showed up.

Not that any of that mattered now with an assassin's bullet about to put both of them out of their respective miseries. And for what? A "rocket stove" made out of scrap dating back to the First World War? Even for Jack and all of his odd endeavours, this current foray seemed moronic and incredibly out of character. The past 18 months had seen Jack work incredibly hard at changing Zogu's habits, day by day reshaping the physical body he inhabited for maximum longevity. Though it had been absolute hell to live through, Zogu had to admit that, standing on the other side, the results had been worth it. He still missed the taste of cigarette smoke and the feeling of nicotine coursing through his veins, particularly after Jack smoked to "keep up appearances" but the feeling of being healthy and strong were incomparable. Zog had even come to appreciate Jack's seemingly insane pre-occupation with diet and exercise. In many ways he felt better now than he ever had.

In addition to weaning his body off the compulsive consumption of cigarettes, alcohol, and unhealthy food, Jack had also managed to amass the greatest fortune in Albanian history. All of his borrowing, scrimping, and saving had laid the foundation for a near miraculous series of investments and a subsequent windfall which made him far and away the envy of every Bey. Not that Jack cared, instead of using his newfound wealth for maximum political advantage, he insisted on spending as much of it on his "legacy" as possible. While Jack had enough sense to see that much of what Zog did in his history was sensible and continued to maintain the flow of bribes that buttressed his rule, instead of supporting this work by cowing his rivals with an ostentatious display of wealth he chose to invest it in factories and further contributions to his "portfolio."

Jack's only major exception to this policy was the re-construction of Zogu's childhood home at Burgajet, not out of any gesture to the man whose body he now inhabited but this too as a decidedly political move designed to both remove Sadije and Krosi and also placate the people of Mati due to his investments elsewhere. In every other instance he had used Zogu's knowledge to pare down his personal spending down to the bare minimum needed to maintain the respect of his wife, the beys, and most importantly the tribal chieftains. For though the first two had some understanding of the wealth Jack had accumulated, the latter had almost no understanding of foreign markets and industry. Fortunately, Jack's abandonment of Zogu's westernized manners in favour of adherence to northern Albanian customs did wonders for him with the chieftains as well.

What they would think of their king hawking wares in Gjirokaster's market square was anyone's guess. Who knew? In all likelihood an assassin's bullet would render the question moot any moment now. Jack of course scoffed at this line of thinking and remained steadfast in his belief that his precautions were sufficient. Though Zogu had to admit that leaving Tirana at night, in disguise, and travelling by boat to Vlora before heading east was quite cunning, the American did not seem capable of comprehending the hatred Gjirocastrans had for their "king." Even arranging to meet Archbishop Kissi and handing out coins directly to the ever-present beggars wouldn't be enough to dissuade some of Zog's enemies.

A suddent persistent tug on their tunic revealed that the young boy Jack had asked earlier to gather up some wood had returned. A single gold franc,(10) far too much for such a menial task, sent the boy scurrying back to his mother in glee as Jack opened his bag and began to put the interlocking pieces of metal together. When it was done he held out the sticks and twigs the boy had gathered for him and asked "Do you think I can cook a meal with these?"

800px-Rocket_stove.jpg

A modern day example of the Rocket Stove. Zog's version here is smaller but operates similarly.​

Everyone laughed, but soon became quiet as Jack lit a fire in the stove's base and fed the wood into the "combustion chamber." Placing a pot on the cooking rack above the flames, Jack sauteed oil, onions, and garlic before adding mutton, water, and other vegetables, to make soup. Soon gasps of admiration emanated from the crowd as they saw the boiling liquid and subsequently drank the soup once it cooled.

"Now, you may ask yourself: Why has Zog become a cook and a salesman if he supposedly has made so much money? Let me tell you, I'm not trying to take your money. You all know that, if anything, the opposite is true. I'm here to show you the future of our nation. This small efficient stove was born of the same Albanian ingenuity which helped our ancestors carve a life from these mountains. I have been working with some of the brightest minds in our country to use this same ingenuity to build the foundation of our economy. All I ask of you is your patience, understanding, and support. Overcoming the legacy of centuries of Ottoman oppression will not happen overnight. Soon these stoves will be available for all of you to purchase at a fair price. Join me in building a new nation for all our children. Join me…"

The sharp crack of a pistol going off brought Jack's speech to an abrupt end as the crowd dissolved into chaos

Boston, United States of America. February 8, 1930.

Fan Noli.jpg

Fan Noli scowled at the latest headline of Dielli: (11)

ZOG UNDETERRED BY FAILED ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: REMAINS RESOLUTELY COMMITTED TO INDUSTRIAL POLICY

Who is this man?

If you would have told him that all it would take to transform Ahmed Bej Zogolli into a genuine reformer was to put a crown on his head, Noli would have done it years ago. Sometimes he wondered if the bitterness he felt towards the man had been amplified in recent years by Zog stealing so many of the policies he had hoped to enact. Then again, it could also stem from the fact that the man seemed to go from victory to victory in his commercial endeavours. What Noli wouldn't have given to have had those kinds of financial resources while he was in power.He sure as hell wouldn't be wasting his time like Zog in marketing these "rocket stoves" in Gjirocaster. Even if it were possible for Zog to win over urban populations in the south, why would he want to? Why would he try to do so at the potential expense of his northern base of power?

Noli shook his head. Perhaps he should be grateful that his greatest political opponent wasn't completely omniscient.

You don't have political opponents anymore old man…

He kept trying to remind himself that he'd retired from political life for a reason. His brief six months in power had been a disaster. A realization which had crystallized the moment Zog finished negotiations with the Patriarch for an autocephalous Albanian Church. Mere months after his coronation, Zog had managed to do more for Orthodox Albanians than Noli had in years. From that point on he'd decided that regardless of the personal baggage, he wouldn't try to tear down Zogu and undo all that he was doing. Yes, it was entrenching the Beys and drawing the country closer to Italy but there just wasn't another alternative.(12)

Besides, a part of Noli still thought that any day now someone tied to Musa Juka was going to barge through the door and put a bullet in his chest. Lord knew that Zog had the resources to do it after his partner struck oil. Not content with bribing everyone in Albania, Zog had recently expanded his vision and begun bribing Albanian expatriate communities. Unfortunately for Noli, times were tough and jobs like the ones in Zog's factories were few and far between. Even if those jobs were only going to be around for a few months, that money could make the difference between life and death in these times. The resulting employment surge had caused Zog's reputation to do a complete 180 in the Albanian American community, something reflected in the neutral tone of the Dielli article.

At least he isn't blaming KRONARE (13)… no, instead the paper noted that Zog had placed the blame on "reactionary forces." A vague enough term to mean just about anyone. Perhaps Noli would be on that list, perhaps not. Perhaps, given Zog's recent policies towards the Albanian Orthodox Church he'd let Noli be. Killing off one of the, if not the most, prominent clergymen in the community would undo whatever goodwill Zog had gained with them and make it that much harder to lure in literate workers for his factories.

Then again, when the profits Zog was obviously expecting from his "rocket stoves," "paint rollers," "white out," hazelnut spread, and women's toiletries, failed to appear, who knew what his response would be? Would he seek out someone to blame in an attempt to save face? Or would the continual expansion of his investments in light of this string of successes bankrupt him and lead to his eventual removal? Only time would tell.

In the meantime, Noli attempted to find solace in the sovereignty of God and his mysterious ways. Perhaps the Lord had ordained all of this to ensure that Noli focused on his true calling in building up the Albanian Church… Whatever the case may be there was no point in agonizing over the affairs of Ahmed Zogu and his seemingly ever expanding kingdom. He had more than enough to do here. Setting down the paper he'd been absentmindedly holding, Noli turned to the pile of books on his desk and the seemingly endless tasks connected to them.

(From "FMSh: The Company that Built A Nation" University of Durres Press, 1985)

"Chapter 5: 'Women's Work,' Light Industry, and the First Albanian Economic Miracle"

Mira Evangjeli, Ph.D. Tirana Agricultural and Mechanical University​

To a certain extent, the fixation of foreign scholars on the production of rocket stoves, paint rollers, and (smudge) is understandable given the nature of the Second Albanian Economic Miracle and the infamous Gjirokaster Assassination Attempt of 1930 which many consider to be the first shot in the Albanian Civil War. The sheer size and extent of the post-war expansion of the Albanian economy coupled with its focus on heavy industry led and continues to lead many observers to fixate on the vital precursors which emerged in the 1930s. However the recently released journals of King Zog himself as well as FMSh internal documents paint a much more nuanced picture. By incorporating these documents into the broader narrative reveals the incredibly vital role played by light industry and more often than not Albanian women in not only the First Economic Miracle, but also the subsequent development of the Kingdom of Albania.

…While it has been well established by other scholars that foreign and not Albanian FMSh factories provided the most revenue for the company, this disparity was far smaller in the "Light Industrial" sectors and everyone involved in the company's finances from Zog down knew it. Unlike production lines for rocket stoves and paint-rollers, the manufacture of tampons, White Out, and most importantly Nutella did not rely on the increasingly expensive gathering or import of scrap metal. Though much of the higher profit margins and Albanian factories' productivity stemmed from these lower input costs and simpler manufacturing techniques, contemporary documents also point to the exemplary work ethic of the Albanian women. Like many other Albanians in the 1930s, these women saw through Zog's outward adherence to Albanian tradition and took hold of the opportunity provided by employment in FMSh factories to create a new life and ultimately a new country for themselves.

Contrary to the claims of Marxist observers, Zog's journals show that this development was intentional from the beginning and not an attempt to prevent the development of an Albanian revolutionary consciousness. Recognizing that Albanian men were extremely unlikely to engage themselves in anything vaguely connected with "Women's work," Zog purposely designed FMSh labour policies to encourage female employment. Increasing provision for daycare, domestic assistance, company schools, and maternity leave proved to be immensely successful in not only encouraging Albanian women to enter the workforce but recruiting entire largely apolitical families to the Zogist cause.

Both Zog's journals and FMSh documents show that Albanian women made the transition to modern industrial life far easier than their husbands and sons did. Given pre-Zogist gender relations and the predominant role women played in the Albanian agricultural economy this is not altogether surprising. Compared to balancing backbreaking agricultural work and domestic tasks, an 8 hour work day seemed like paradise even without considering excellent pay and benefits. It is thus unsurprising that male participation in unions, clubs, and other modernization efforts lagged behind female participation until after the war. Few if any women were tempted to maintain the pre-Zogist status quo and their participation in not only industrial life but also anti-corruption measures proved to be vital Albanian modernization…

…FMSh's generous benefit package also laid the foundation for an impressive secondary economy as women began to be remunerated for previously unpaid domestic tasks. When combined with the wages and benefits often provided to their husbands, the wages paid to FMSh's female employees played a critical role in building the Albanian middle class…

…Of course all of these positive domestic developments would have been rendered useless had the goods produced in these FMSh factories remained on the shelves. Here too Zog's journals and FMSH documents point to the key involvement of women in shaping the marketing campaigns which paved the way for FMSh goods. In anticipation of a coming recession, future marketing maven Mira Hoxha and several other female members of the KShI built a campaign which marketed FMSh goods as cost-saving measures during difficult times.(14) When combined with reasonable pricing driven by Zog's explicit adoption of a national rather than a profit motive, this marketing campaign played a vital role in helping FMSh goods fly off the shelf which in turn fueled the development of Albania as a whole.

NOTES

1. All OTL. Zog was personally in command of the irregular forces facing the Italians in Vlora in 1920.

2. Fan Noli's ascension to power is now generally regarded as a coup now but for a long time was seen as a "Democratic Revolution" by Albanians seeking to create a "useable past." In TTL, needless to say Albanian historiography develops differently.

3. Another term for the Italian Foreign Ministry based on the location of it's offices in Rome.

4. Zog's purchase of such an expensive and ornate uniform was cause for worldwide ridicule in OTL and in TTL. The Libohova brothers (more on them later!) also made a number of other frivolous purchases including the two used German minesweepers that initially made up the Albanian navy and a boatload of surplus ammunition that was largely useless. However in TTL subsequent actions cast a different light on the initial purchases made with the SVEA money.

5. Ataturk's attitude towards Zog is from OTL and only amplified in TTL due to the differences between the two men's philosophies and approach to modernization.

6. A full on custom's union was considered in 1930-31 but faced resistance from both Albanians and Italians. Thus Jack's proposal in TTL falls upon fertile ground effectively giving the Italians much of what they wanted without the downside of an immediate customs union: the need to ensure that the Albanians were actually capable of enforcing Italian tariffs.

7. In OTL a huge chunk of the SVEA loan was spent on transforming Tirana into a "suitable" capital city and a smaller chunk was spent on the port of Durres. While both are somewhat superfluous to actual Albanian needs at this point, the construction in Durres is marginally more valuable and thus is emphasized by Jack/Zog. As a result much of the work that was done in OTL around Durres pre-1939 is done in the 1928-1930 period.

8. Mussolini's strategy is from OTL however he underestimated Zog. What followed was a standoff which lasted until 1934 and nearly resulted in an Italian invasion. In TTL Zog has far more resources at his disposal. Don't think that either side in TTL is satisfied

9. Zog purchased the stone for the reconstruction of his ancestral home which was destroyed by the Serbs in 1920, in OTL but construction did not start before he fled the country in April 1939. In TTL due to his other adventures, the reconstruction of Burgajet serves as a pork barrel project to keep his traditional base of power in Mati happy.

10. In OTL a single gold franc was a day's pay for construction work until 1939 when the Italians promptly doubled it following their invasion.

11. OTL Albanian American paper.

12. In OTL Noli resigned from leading anti-Zogist activities a bit later. In TTL Zog's competence, particularly with the Orthodox Church prompts an earlier resignation.

13. OTL group of anti-Zogist politicians who were responsible for the 1931 attempt on Zog's life which occurred when he made the only foreign trip of his reign to seek medical treatment in Vienna.

14. If it wasn't already apparent, Mira Hoxha is a fictional character. The name is fairly common though so she may have existed in OTL. But she and other members of the KShI (Albanian Committee for Innovation) exist largely to cover for the SI introducing a plethora of modern ideas