Mirash Ivanaj

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Mirash Ivanaj (born March 12, 1891 in Podgorica ; died September 22, 1953 in Tirana ) was an Albanian teacher , school director , politician and minister who reformed the Albanian education system in line with the Albanian national movement Rilindja . He was also, together with his cousin Nikolla Bey Ivanaj , the editor of the newspaper Republika .

Life

Mirash Ivanaj was born in Montenegro , where his father had moved almost ten years earlier because of political persecution in the Ottoman Empire . Mirash was the youngest of eight siblings. He attended a school in Belgrade until 1912 and studied law and literature in Rome from 1913 . He completed both studies with a doctorate .

In 1923 Mirash Ivanaj moved to Albania, where he and his cousin Nikolla Bey Ivanaj published the newspaper Republika . In May 1924 he fled to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes as a result of an uprising by the opposition against Ahmet Zogu . In December of the same year he returned with Ahmet Zogu. Subsequently, Mirash Ivanaj worked as a school principal in Shkodra and later in Tirana.

In 1932 and 1933 Mirash Ivanaj was a member of parliament and was finally appointed Minister of Education by Ahmet Zogu. In this position he worked on a national reform of the education system, which met with great opposition, especially from Italy and Greece, who pursued national interests in Albania and operated non-state schools. Nevertheless, Mirash Ivanaj managed to establish some progress in the education system. In September 1934 a law was passed that made compulsory schooling for five years. Several schools and educational institutions have also been established across the country. On April 6, 1935, a lawsuit by Greece against Albania before the Permanent International Court of Justice was decided in favor of Greece because Ivanaj's educational reform disadvantaged the Greek minority in southern Albania . Because of this judgment and because further reforms were not possible, Mirash Ivanaj resigned as Minister of Education on August 30, 1935.

When Italy occupied Albania on April 7, 1939 , Mirash Ivanaj fled to Greece. He spent the early war years in Istanbul . In search of employment, he later traveled to Lebanon , Egypt and Jerusalem . As one of the few Albanian intellectuals, Mirash Ivanaj returned to communist Albania in September 1945. In November of the same year he began teaching at a school in Tirana.

On May 15, 1947, Mirash Ivanaj was arrested in the course of the Koçi Xoxe purges and sentenced to seven years in prison for treason. He worked as a translator in prison. Mirash Ivanaj died twelve days before he was due to be released from prison.

literature

  • Robert Elsie: Historical Dictionary of Albania. 2nd Edition. Scarecrow Press, Toronto / Plymouth 2010, ISBN 978-0-8108-6188-6 , p. 209.
  • Owen Pearson: Albania and King Zog. Independence, Republic and Monarchy 1908-1939. IBTauris, London 2004, ISBN 1-84511-013-7 .

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Ivanaj Brothers' Biographies. In: Ivanaj Foundations. Retrieved January 5, 2016 .
  2. ^ Owen Pearson: Albania and King Zog. Independence, Republic and Monarchy 1908-1939. IBTauris, London 2004, p. 360.
personal data
SURNAME Ivanaj, Mirash
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Albanian politician
DATE OF BIRTH March 12, 1891
PLACE OF BIRTH Podgorica
DATE OF DEATH September 22, 1953
Place of death Tirana