Kostandin Boshnjaku
Kostandin Boshnjaku | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 20, 1888 Stegopull, Lunxhëri region, Ottoman Albania |
| Died | December 22, 1953 (aged 65) Durrës, Albania |
| Occupation(s) | Banker, politician, diplomat, translator |
| Known for | Early advocate of communism in Albania; General Director of Albanian State Bank; opposition to communist authorities |
Kostandin Boshnjaku (20 October 1888 – 22 December 1953) was a prominent Albanian figure known for his roles as a banker, politician, diplomat, and later as a translator. As an early advocate of communism in Albania, he was detained and condemned to life imprisonment by the Supreme Military Court on 31 December 1947 due to his opposition to the communist authorities. In 1949, he gained freedom through an amnesty, reportedly influenced by Soviet ambassador Dmitry Chuvakhin. Boshnjaku spent his concluding years in Durrës, dedicating himself to translating books across various languages.
Early life
Born in 1888 in Stegopull, located in the Lunxhëri region of Ottoman Albania, presently part of Gjirokastër County, Albania, Kostandin Boshnjaku hailed from an Albanian Orthodox family. His last name implies potential descent from Albanian Muhaxhirs originating in the Sandzak area or Bosniak lineage, with a conversion to Orthodoxy upon settling in Gjirokastër. He completed his education at the Commercial Institute of Piraeus, Greece. A multilingual economist, publisher, and diplomat, Boshnjaku was fluent in Albanian (Tosk dialect), Greek, Ancient Greek, Russian, Turkish, English, French, and German. His career included extensive work with French and international banking institutions in Odessa and St. Peterburg.
Early involvement in politics
During the government of Prince Wied in 1914, Boshnjaku was responsible for managing the newly established Albanian state's Treasury. He was also a founding member of the brief-lived Albanian Nationalist Party (1913–1915). However, his political engagement was disrupted by the Islamic Revolt and the outbreak of World War I.
Communist ideology and interbellum
Boshnjaku was present in Russia during the time of the October Revolution, possibly standing as the sole Albanian intellectual witness to these events. He maintained connections with notable Albanian patriots and intellectuals such as Fan Noli, Ymer Dishnica, and Faik Konica, who proposed him for the role of ambassador to Greece. Subsequently, he was appointed ambassador to Sofia, Bulgaria—likely with Soviet endorsement—but was recalled before officially presenting his credentials under circumstances that remain unclear.
He played a pivotal role in introducing Bolshevik principles into Albania and kept communication channels open with agents from the Comintern who aimed to establish a communist party within the country, although he never formally joined any such organization. Between 1919 and 1920, Boshnjaku broadened his connections among liberal and left-leaning politicians, promoting pro-Soviet perspectives and publicizing documents such as the Secret Treaty of London to oppose territorial divisions. Although these initiatives influenced emerging activists like those within the "Bashkimi" youth group led by Avni Rustemi, their reach was limited among Albania’s predominantly illiterate populace.
By 1923, founding a communist party remained unattainable. The Comintern dispatched Dimitri Pentchev to Albania to foster Soviet diplomatic relations; during Pentchev’s tenure Boshnjaku temporarily halted his activities but resumed them after Pentchev’s departure. He contributed significantly to the Albanian National Assembly’s decision to honor Lenin in 1924.
Ali Këlcyra observed that Boshnjaku’s propaganda efforts were instrumental in shaping the pro-Soviet orientation of Noli and other democratic opposition figures.
Following the June 1924 revolution, Boshnjaku escaped to Austria along with other democratic exiles. Sejfi Vllamasi reported that he served as a liaison between exiled groups and the Comintern, facilitating financial support for Noli’s organization KONARE (Revolutionary National Committee) as well as Kosovo irredentist factions. In 1927, King Zog’s court sentenced him to life imprisonment in absentia. Arrested in Vienna in 1929 on suspicion of involvement in an assassination attempt against Ahmet Zogu, Boshnjaku secured release thanks to international backing from figures including Fan Noli, Henri Barbusse, and Albert Einstein.
In 1932, he became part of an Albanian anti-monarchist committee based in Constanța, Romania alongside other members of the diaspora.
World War II
In 1939, he returned to Albania and aligned himself with the communist faction of the National Liberation Movement (). A 2011 report from the Albanian publication "Nacional," referencing British Intelligence assessments of early post-war Albanian communist figures, indicates that Kostandin initially supported the German side before switching loyalty following Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union.
Aftermath in Communist Albania
Following World War II, he secured a seat in the newly established Constitutional Assembly after the elections held on December 2, 1945, and was later named General Director of the Albanian State Bank. During this time, his rapport with Enver Hoxha declined, leading to a diminished influence within the Communist Party. In May 1945, Joseph Earle Jacobs, representing the US Civil Mission in Albania, met with Hoxha to explore financial collaboration between the United States and Albania. This included setting up an account at Chase Bank in New York to facilitate transfers from Albanians abroad. Boshnjaku and his deputy Kolë Kuqali had previously consented to these arrangements. Kuqali was subsequently detained alongside Boshnjaku and died under questionable conditions.
A significant dispute emerged regarding efforts to merge the Albanian lek with the Yugoslav dinar and Yugoslavia’s insistence on subordinating the Albanian State Bank to its National Bank. Boshnjaku opposed these moves, sharing a similar fate as Nako Spiru.
Hoxha’s contempt for Boshnjaku is apparent in letters where he mockingly addressed him as "Dear Bosnian Comrade," confusing his surname with an ethnic designation.
On December 22, 1945, Boshnjaku sent Hoxha a memorandum condemning severe government actions against private enterprises. While he endorsed Agrarian Reform, he resisted collectivization and state land consolidation. He contended:
This position resulted in his arrest in 1947 by the communist authorities on accusations of collaborating with Anglo-American intelligence agencies; he was sentenced to life imprisonment. His trial occurred during a crackdown on dissenters known as the "Group of the representatives," although he had no ties to them. Efforts for clemency were unsuccessful until 1949 when he was freed but remained under strict surveillance without any pension or assistance, enduring poverty until his death in 1953.
During the era of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania, his legacy was systematically erased; he was branded a "pro-bourgeois and opportunist element" who undermined the communist economic system.
Following the collapse of communism, Boshnjaku was rehabilitated posthumously but continues to be relatively obscure within Albanian historical awareness.
Family
In 1940, Boshnjaku wed Margarete Schmid, an Austrian woman he had met in Vienna. Although they had cohabited since 1925, they did not have any children.