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Pickaxe and Rifle: The Story of the Albanian People
A book of Today — for all serious students of POLITICAL HISTORY
Albania’s difference with the Soviet Union over the issue of the true nature of socialism, coupled with its fraternal alliance with People’s China, has been at the very core of the split in the world communist movement.
Yet, until William Ash wrote this book, no adequate history of Albania has been published in the West.
PICKAXE AND RIFLE is more than an historical account of this interesting but little-known country: it is a political and sociological study of the only socialist state in Europe.
Having liberated themselves from fascist occupation, how did the Albanian people free themselves also from the whole system of exploitation and defend their new socialist state from the hostile countries all around them?
What new social institution and governmental organisation reflect the transfer of state power into the hands of the working people?
What are the characteristics of real socialist society as developed by the Albanians, and how have they guaranteed it against the distortions and deformations which have overturned the other East European peoples’ democracies?
And as a result, what is the quality of life in Albania today?
William Ash, author of MARXISM AND MORAL CONCEPTS, was invited to Albania
in 1969 to tour the country extensively and to collect material for this book. Again, in
1971, the author had an opportunity of visiting Albania at the time of the Sixth Congress of the Party of Labour of Albania, and of checking the draft typescript of his work with historians, with State and Party leaders and, most important of all, with the people in factories and on the collective farms.
The result is a most compelling account of real socialism in action.
[back cover, ca. 1974].
Albania’s difference with the Soviet Union over the issue of the true nature of socialism, coupled with its fraternal alliance with People’s China, has been at the very core of the split in the world communist movement.
Yet, until William Ash wrote this book, no adequate history of Albania has been published in the West.
PICKAXE AND RIFLE is more than an historical account of this interesting but little-known country: it is a political and sociological study of the only socialist state in Europe.
Having liberated themselves from fascist occupation, how did the Albanian people free themselves also from the whole system of exploitation and defend their new socialist state from the hostile countries all around them?
What new social institution and governmental organisation reflect the transfer of state power into the hands of the working people?
What are the characteristics of real socialist society as developed by the Albanians, and how have they guaranteed it against the distortions and deformations which have overturned the other East European peoples’ democracies?
And as a result, what is the quality of life in Albania today?
William Ash, author of MARXISM AND MORAL CONCEPTS, was invited to Albania
in 1969 to tour the country extensively and to collect material for this book. Again, in
1971, the author had an opportunity of visiting Albania at the time of the Sixth Congress of the Party of Labour of Albania, and of checking the draft typescript of his work with historians, with State and Party leaders and, most important of all, with the people in factories and on the collective farms.
The result is a most compelling account of real socialism in action.
[back cover, ca. 1974].
270 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1974
About the author
William Ash
50 books4 followersBorn in Dallas in 1917, WILLIAM ASH worked his way through school and college during the Great Depression, graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, to the heights of elevator operator, then Hobo.
At the outbreak of war in Europe he rode the rails to Canada and enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1940. A Spitfire pilot, he saw action over England and France. He was shot down near Calais in March 1942 and evaded the German forces for months with help from the French Resistance but was captured and badly beaten by the Gestapo.
Bill was sent to a succession of POW camps in Occupied Europe from which he escaped on a regular basis, becoming one of the greatest escapers of the war. At war's end, he was awarded an MBE for his escaping activities and went on to work for the BBC in India and Britain. He became a writer and a past Chair of the Writers Guild (GB). Married to the academic Ranjana Ash, he lives in London where he stayed after the war.
This account of his wartime adventures became a best-seller in the UK and Tunnel King Ash observed "I've discovered the secret of success - all you have to do is dig a hole and wait seventy years". He celebrated his 95th birthday in November 2012 with the publication of the first paperback edition in North America.
At the outbreak of war in Europe he rode the rails to Canada and enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1940. A Spitfire pilot, he saw action over England and France. He was shot down near Calais in March 1942 and evaded the German forces for months with help from the French Resistance but was captured and badly beaten by the Gestapo.
Bill was sent to a succession of POW camps in Occupied Europe from which he escaped on a regular basis, becoming one of the greatest escapers of the war. At war's end, he was awarded an MBE for his escaping activities and went on to work for the BBC in India and Britain. He became a writer and a past Chair of the Writers Guild (GB). Married to the academic Ranjana Ash, he lives in London where he stayed after the war.
This account of his wartime adventures became a best-seller in the UK and Tunnel King Ash observed "I've discovered the secret of success - all you have to do is dig a hole and wait seventy years". He celebrated his 95th birthday in November 2012 with the publication of the first paperback edition in North America.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 22, 2024
Somewhat disappointing. I thought this book would be a bit more of a partisan history, giving context to and the story of socialist Albania. The first 8 chapters are pretty much that. The rest is just a fairly bog-standard anti-revisionist dithyramb of Albania in the late 60s-early 70s. I hold my hands up, whilst being familiar with the author’s anti-fascist exploits, I didn’t find out until further research on Bill Ash part way through my reading that he was a founder member of the Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist) alongside legendary mad trade unionist Reg Birch - this obviously shapes the writing. Don’t get me wrong, some of the achievements were impressive, especially concerning literacy rates and improvements to quality of life.
A fairly interesting read, just not exactly what I was after. Ho hum!
A fairly interesting read, just not exactly what I was after. Ho hum!
November 14, 2024
"One popular game [among children] is the re-enactment of episodes from the partisan fighting when some veteran has described the event to them; but it is difficult to get the game started because no child wants to play the part of the fascists. After the game is over both sides kiss each other."
January 8, 2022
Infumable. Estoy seguro de que el autor ha tenido pensamientos impuros con Hoxha. Bastante mal rollo cuando empieza a hablar de los bikinis de las mujeres albanesas.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews