ip being outlawed. In 1945, the Agrarian Reform Law of August 1945 meant that large swaths of property owned by religious groups (mostly Islamic waqfs) were nationalised, along with the estates of monasteries and dioceses. Many believers, along with the ulema and many priests were arrested, tortured and executed. A 1949 a new Decree on Religious Communities required that religious communities and all their activities be sanctioned by the state alone. In 1967 Hoxha proclaimed Albania the world's first 'atheist state.' Hundreds of Mosques, and dozens of Islamic libraries - containing priceless manuscripts - were destroyed. Churches were not spared either, and many of which were converted into cultural centers for young people. The new law banned all "fascist, religious, warmongerish, antisocialist activity and propaganda," - preaching religion carries a three to ten-year prison sentence. Many Albanians, nonetheless, continued to practise in secret.
The Hoxhaist regime collapsed in 1990, and the Republic of Albania was founded in 1991. The old Communist party was soundly defeated in the elections of March 1992, amid economic collapse and social unrest. An economic crisis spread in late 1996 following the failure of some Ponzi schemes operating in the country, peaking in 1997 in an armed rebellion that led to another mass emigration of Albanians, mostly to Italy, Greece, Switzerland, Germany and North America.
In 1999 the country was affected by the Kosovo War, when a great number of Albanians from Kosovo found refuge in Albania.
Albania became a full member of NATO in 2009. The country is applying to join the European Union
