In 1945, Albania was an extremely under-developed nation compared to other countries in Europe. So in studying Enver Hoxha's forty-year reign (1945-85) it is necessary to recognize him as a leader who accomplished great things for Albania while concurrently enmeshing the country in policies that were not only counterproductive but self-destructive. This book studies a wide range of areas pertaining to Hoxha's impact upon Albania's development. O'Donnell shows that, while it is necessary to give Hoxha a mixed report card, he nonetheless enabled a small nation with a multitude of limitations to maintain its sovereignty and modernize through unorthodox methods.