Enver Hoxha — Banner of Struggle for Freedom and Socialism

Speech by the First Secretary of the CC of the PLA and President of the People’s Assembly of the PSR of Albania at the National Conference Dedicated to the Immortal Work of Comrade Enver Hoxha, held October 15-16, 1985

Dear comrades,

We have gathered at this national conference, which is opened on the eve of Comrade Enver Hoxha’s birthday, to pay homage to and evoke his brilliant work and life.
Today our thoughts and feelings turn with profound gratitude and respect to that great personality who, with his life and work, wrote the most brilliant pages in the modern history of our ancient people; to that glorious revolutionary who planted and successfully raised the communist ideas in Albania; to that mighty leader who became the torch-bearer of his own people on the road of the struggle for freedom and socialism.

Just as the heights of mountains stand out more clearly on the horizon when you are far from them, so the figures of outstanding men like Enver grow and become more majestic the more time passes from the separation with them. The biography of such men who come into the life of society with in the struggle for the industrialization of the country, for the modernization of agriculture and for the flowering of Albanian education, culture, art and science. Our impregnable defence, likewise, is his work. He taught the Party and our people to rely on their own strength. By applying this principle at every stage, our Albania made an unprecedented leap from darkness into light, from feudalism to socialism. The epoch of the Party and Enver Hoxha is the epoch in which the country was reborn, man was reborn, and which opened boundless horizons to life and activity.

All the political-ideological, moral and material developments in our socialist society have their foundation and inspiration in the Marxist-Leninist ideas of Comrade Enver. They are ideas which orientate towards new higher developments, ideas which open up to the future and help to march towards it with sure steps. Our people and Party will always have them as a compass to be directed by them, as a guide to action.

Comrade Enver did not learn scientific communism at schools, courses or academies. The century of the Albanian people’s struggles to emerge in the light of freedom, the class battles of the world proletariat for social justice and progress gave birth to him, raised him and moulded him as a communist and revolutionary. In Enver Hoxha communism and Marxist-Leninist science found the man with training and knowledge, equipped with the qualities and virtues necessary to propagate, defend and apply them consistently in the Albanian reality.

The unity of the depth of the thinking with the simplicity of its expression is characteristic of all Comrade Enver’s work. This quality makes his work understandable to working people of all categories. Enver detested pompous and inflated phraseology. In his theoretical work there are no definitions and categorical formulations as in school textbooks. He was an outstanding Marxist thinker and philosopher and, as such, an irreconcilable enemy of empty abstractions and academic theorizing.

Comrade Enver had a special ability to sum up and draw very important conclusions from even a simple action of the revolutionary practice of the masses. By observing and studying the development of the present-day revolutionary movement, the international situation and the dialectical process of the progress of the Albanian society, he dealt with a series of capital questions of the world revolution and the socialist construction of Albania with complete scientific competence. His Marxist opinion carries solid weight in matters of philosophy and politics, ideology and the economy, culture and art, in military and international issues. The figure of Comrade Enver represents an organic blending of human virtues. In him the noble ideals for which he fought were perfectly combined with his fine feelings and spiritual beauty. His heart and whole being responded with a profound humanism to all the people’s feelings and worries in life. Comrade Enver rejoiced both over the bringing into production of a gigantic combine and over the birth of a new citizen of the Republic; both over the production of the first handful of superphosphate and over the appearance of a new song. He thought, designed and worked about the future and prosperity of the Homeland just as he paid attention to the living conditions of a pensioner or of an orphanage. He worried over every shortage, over every weakness and carelessness which hindered the work, but worry over the health of a comrade would keep him awake, too. In his figure, the great preoccupations over the fate of the Homeland and socialism were completely blended with his human concern about the troubles of any simple worker.

His devotion to the cause of the people and the Homeland, his loyalty to the Party and consistent adherence to Marxism-Leninism were the most important factors which made his profound thinking and healthy judgement, foresight, wisdom and patience in general, his boldness and courage, when boldness and courage were called for, but also severity when severity was necessary, distinguishing features of Comrade Enver.

On its course of freedom, genuine independence and ceaseless social progress, little Albania has encountered innumerable difficulties and great obstacles and savage and cunning rabid enemies. But whenever danger appeared, it was Enver Hoxha who emerged to face the storm, it was he who cleared the black clouds from the horizon, it was he who raised the people to their feet and filled them with confidence and optimism. Just as he was kindly with the people, with revolutionaries and honest people everywhere in the world, he was severe and stern with enemies, provocateurs, the sinister people of the counter-revolution.

The Party of Labour of Albania, with Comrade Enver Hoxha at the head, has never bargained over principles. With unrivalled courage it has condemned the aggressive policy of the superpowers, the United States of America and the Soviet Union, and has torn the mask from modern revisionists of all hues, whether Khrushchevite, Titoite, Eurocommunist or Chinese. This struggle of exceptional importance constitutes a brilliant page in the history of the international communist movement. In Enver Hoxha the true communists and revolutionaries of all continents have had a great internationalist friend and an ardent supporter. That is why they write and speak with respect and affection for our glorious leader.

The words and thinking of Comrade Enver, the directives and programs that he formulated represent the synthesis of the collective thinking of the Party. In his speeches or contributions to discussion Comrade Enver simply returned to the Party and the people their own thinking, expressed and consulted in the most democratic and direct form, summed up and synthesized by him. The unity of the Party with Comrade Enver in thought and action stemmed from this permanent connection which was part of his method of work. Just as the people and the Party listened attentively to the words of Comrade Enver and hurled themselves into action to put them into practice, he too, in working meetings and in chance contacts, insistently sought the ideas and opinions of the comrades.

In the versatile figure of Comrade Enver it is difficult to distinguish which of his features was the main one, which aspect of him was the determining one. He was a leader of the new type and an outstanding statesman; a great diplomat and a perfect organizer; an innovative ideologist and a keen-minded politician; a reformer of social life and an architect of the socialist construction. But there is one feature that characterized his whole being: his love for the people. Comrade Enver was not born a statesman — his love for the people and the Homeland made him that. Comrade Enver did not graduate from any school of diplomacy — his duty to Albania made him a diplomat. Comrade Enver was not an ideologist and thinker from the halls of universities — his devotion to the cause of the revolution armed him with this quality. Comrade Enver gained his schooling as a communist organizer in the actions of the partisan war for the freedom and independence of the Homeland and in the great battles for the construction of socialism.

The figure of Enver Hoxha is one of great social value. Our communists, cadres and all our people must learn not only from his theoretical works, but also from his practical activity as a leader and a man. They must learn how to love and live with the people, how to understand and solve their problems; they must learn how to love and defend the Homeland, how to fight for its happiness and progress; how to safeguard and continuously develop the revolutionary internationalist spirit. All of us must learn not to be afraid of any difficulty, just as Enver Hoxha was not afraid; to find our bearings unerringly in any situation, just as he did; to organize and manage affairs with knowledge and culture, as he did; to always be progressive and fight for the new, as he fought; to always be on the offensive and inventive, to always be vigilant towards class enemies so that our hearts beat for the Homeland and communism, just as Enver Hoxha’s heart beat.

Our generation, the generations of today are happy that they had the honour to be contemporaries and co-fighters, each on his own front, of this legendary hero and immortal teacher. But for our people and the future generations there is another equally great honour, the honour of fighters who will carry the work of Comrade Enver even further ahead, by carrying out to the full the sacred vow which the Party and people have made to keep Albania permanently red, to guard our unity like the apple of our eye and to forge constantly ahead on the road of communism.

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Leaders such as Enver Hoxha are the product of a given epoch and have epoch-making stature. Just as the historical epochs can never be forgotten, so their heroes live on, honoured and respected forever. Our people are proud that, whenever the name of this glorious son of theirs is mentioned anywhere in the world, Albania, communism, genuine freedom and independence will be implied.

For five hundred years our people have kept alive the legendary figure of Skanderbeg and were kept alive by it. At the most dramatic moments in the life of the nation the Albanian patriots, democrats and revolutionaries turned to this figure, evoked it and made it their banner in great battles. And Skanderbeg assisted them.

Just as the wars and deeds of Skanderbeg have inspired the patriotism and spirit of resistance of the Albanians, the name and work of Enver Hoxha will be the banner of our people in the struggle for socialism and the prosperity of the Homeland through the centuries. With his majestic work Comrade Enver Hoxha will always inspire the communists and people to great deeds and ceaseless progress. He will always be present in the joys and worries of our society. The present and future generations will be guided by his teachings. Faced with any major question, faced with any difficulty or obstacle, they will seek the advice of Enver.

And Enver will assist them. He will give them answers through his work.

Eternal glory to the monumental work of Comrade Enver Hoxha!

Long live our heroic Party of Labour!