The communist press as an important element in the atheist propaganda in the Albanian totalitarian regime 1960 – 1970

Abstract

In the Albanian totalitarian regime, the communist press played an outstanding role throughout the regime, from 1945 to 1990. The only purpose of the Albanian media would be assisting the totalitarian state. The media would transmit that selected information and data, complying with the ideological and political point of views of the party-state. Therefore, the public, the media and the public were regarded and functioned as the same unity. The atheist propaganda of the communist system was particularly special in brainwashing the Albanian people for the proletariat war that would lead into the triumph of the proletarian revolution and establishing the proletarian dictatorship in Albania, where media gave a big contribution. An introduction to the means and organization of the atheist propaganda in the communist regime in Albania follows up in this paper. In addition, a deeper prying would be performed in the atheist articles in the press, among famous newspapers of the time, such as: “Bashkimi”, “ZeriiRinise”, “ZeriiPopullit” etc. What was the role of the written press? Which was the true purpose of the atheist propaganda? What was the bond between the power, media and the propaganda? The Albanian communist party, confined to its Marxist-Leninist principles throughout the regime, would aim to thoroughly change the people psychologically and affect their lifestyle. In the atheist propaganda the religion would therefore be a synonym to the old, bourgeois lifestyle, the old-fashionable behaviors, emphasizing how the outdated religious propaganda had only kept the people in ignorance. The information conveyed from every element of the socialist society in the working units and party organizations would include the political, ideological, economic, social, educational, cultural activities of the Albanian communist system.