At the end of the Second World War, communist sympathies turned Albania from its constitutional traditions into the People?s Socialist Republic of Albania. Enver Hoxha, the leader of the Albanian Labor Party, served as head of state from 1944 until his death in 1985. Under Hoxha and his successor as dictator Ramiz Alia, Albania remained firmly in the Communist bloc and those living in Albania suffered immeasurably. Basic freedoms were stripped away, artistic expression was standardized, and the state imposed harsh rules to create systematic dependence on this authoritarian government.0'Aleksander Pe�ci: Albanian Music Before and After the Iron Curtain' unveils a critical period of Albanian music history. Under the weight of Communism, Albanian artists used their craft to encourage and empower their fellow citizens. Aleksander Pe�ci, one of the most well - known of all Albanian composers, set a precedent for artistic freedom through his innovative musical compositions. Pe�ci's personal twist on Albanian iso-polyphony, creative Carousel structure, and provoking Kabaoisos technique created a sense of newfound imagination in Albanian musicians and listeners.