Albania - Italian occupation

In 1939, Benito Mussolini, the leader of Italian fascism, targeted Albania as part of his aggressive expansionist policy. The country's small size and relative weakness made it an attractive target for Italy, which was seeking to strengthen its influence in the Balkans. The Italian army occupied Albania in a swift and effective offensive in April 1939. The Albanian king, Zogu, was forced to flee the country. Italy annexed Albania, and the country lost its independence. The Italians installed their own king, Victor Emmanuel, on the Albanian throne, and appointed an Italian governor to lead the country. The Italians exploited Albania economically. They used the country's resources and labor force to their own advantage. Several Albanian resistance groups were formed against the Italian occupation. These groups carried out acts of sabotage and waged guerrilla warfare against the Italians. During World War II, Italy faced increasing difficulties. The Allied advance forced the Italians to withdraw their forces from Albania. In 1943, Germany invaded Italy, and with it Albania. Italian rule ended, but the suffering of the Albanian people did not. The Italian occupation caused severe economic damage to Albania. The country's infrastructure deteriorated and agriculture suffered severely. The Italian occupation increased social tensions in Albania. The resistance movement and the German occupation resulted in further bloodshed. During the Italian and German occupations, the Albanian communists grew stronger and came to power in the country after the war.

In 1939, Italy invaded Albania, and as a result significant changes occurred in the country's financial system. The goal of the invaders was to integrate the Albanian economy into the Italian economy and replace the Albanian currency with the Italian lira. After the Italian occupation, the Italian lira became the official currency of Albania. The Albanian lek, the country's former currency, was gradually withdrawn from circulation. The Italian authorities also issued Italian lira in Albania, often bearing special stamps or inscriptions to distinguish them from banknotes in circulation in Italy. During the Italian occupation, new coins were also minted in Albania, which followed the Italian pattern, but also had Albanian inscriptions and motifs. The introduction of the Italian lira and the new coinage served to increase Italian economic influence and promote the economic integration of Albania into Italy. At the same time, the Albanian elements appearing on the coinage also indicated that the Italians tried to preserve a kind of semblance of Albanian national identity. Coins and banknotes from the Italian occupation of Albania now have considerable collector value, especially those that are rarer or made in special designs.