A Study of War
 Wars of the World*
Pro-Soviet Plot: Albania 1960

AlbaniaThe Sino-Soviet split burst into the open in June 1960 at a Romanian Workers' Party congress, at which Khrushchev attempted to secure condemnation of Beijing. Albania's delegation, alone among the European delegations, supported the Chinese. The Soviet Union immediately retaliated by organizing a campaign to oust Hoxha and Shehu in the summer of 1960. Moscow cut promised grain deliveries to Albania during a drought, and the Soviet embassy in Tiranė overtly encouraged a pro-Soviet faction in the Albanian Party of Labor ( APL) to speak out against the party's pro-Chinese stand. Moscow also apparently involved itself in a plot within the APL to unseat Hoxha and Shehu by force. But given their tight control of the party machinery, army, and Shehu's secret police, the Directorate of State Security (Drejtorija e Siguimit te Shtetit--Sigurimi), the two Albanian leaders easily parried the threat. Five pro-Soviet Albanian leaders were eventually tried and executed. China immediately began making up for the cancellation of Soviet wheat shipments despite a paucity of foreign currency and its own economic hardships.
References: 

Albania - A Country Study.
http://www.onwar.com/aced/data/alpha/albania1960.htm Revised: November 27, 2003

Armed Conflict Events Database

Armed Conflict Events Data (ACED) is an research project providing independent information about known wars, international disputes, civil wars, rebellions, coups, revolutions, genocides and other violent conflicts. ACED has been online since December 2000. Various partial revisions and modifications have been implemented since then, however, the limitations of the this format hamper further development. During 2005, the decision was made to radically restructure the available conflict information into a database. The new Armed Conflict Events Database (ACEDb) will substantially increase the utility of available conflict data for students of military history. As well, it will offer expanded opportunities to add and edit records of conflict. Existing research material will be maintained in its present form but no revisions are planned. More news about the development of ACEDb may be found at News About the Armed Conflict Events Database. Feedback is welcome.