Sokrat Dodbiba

Sokrat Dodbiba was born in 1898 in Elbasan, Ottoman Empire, which is today Albania, to an Albanian Orthodox family. He finished his studies in the Commercial Institute of Piraeus, Greece. He was an economist, publisher, and diplomat, as well as a polyglot, knowing Greek, Old Greek, Russian, Turkish, English, French, and German. He worked for many years in Odessa and St. Peterburg in French and international banks. In 1914, the government of Prince Wied put him in charge of the Treasury of the newly created Albanian state. His name appears as co-founder of the Albanian Nationalist Party, a short-lived party during 1913–1915. All this was interrupted by the Islamic Revolt in Albania, and World War I. Sokrat was in Russia during the October Revolution, probably the only Albanian intellectual to have lived the events. During this time, he kept friendship with other Albanian patriots and intellectuals as Fan Noli, Ymer Dishnica, Mirash Ivanaj, Halim Xhelo, Sejfulla Malëshova, Asdreni, Faik Konica, etc. Konica would even suggest later his name to Noli, as the best fit candidate for the role of Ambassador to Greece. He was sent as ambassador in Sofia, Bulgaria (probably with Soviet support) but was recalled back in Albania prior to presenting his letter of credence to Bulgarian authorities; all this would remain an unclear and dubious situation. Dodbiba brought in Albania the revolutionary ideas of Bolshevism, and people from Comintern were in contact with him for establishing a communist party in the country, though he did not get directly involved in any local communist group. During 1919–20 he widened his range of contacts with liberal and left-wing politicians within the country, and spread the pro-Soviet sentiments. He supported Noli, but then left after the failure of the June Movement. He was a member of the Central Committee of the National Revolutionary Committee. He was part of the delegation led by Noli at the Conference of Friends of the Soviet Union in 1927. He lived in Sofia in the period 1931-34 and in Romania in 1934-39. He returned to Albania in 1939, and was a member of the Supervisory Council. In September 1943 he joined the National Liberation War. In January 1945 he was appointed Director General of the State Bank and was elected deputy in the People's Assembly 1946-47. In 1946 he was dismissed from his job, in 1947 he was arrested with the second group of deputies and in January 1948 he was declared guilty of having links with the Anglo-Americans and the Greeks. In 1949 he was pardoned by an amnesty. He expressed his opposition to the nationalization of industry and the removal of private initiative. He died in 1953. [1](^1^) [2](^2^) [3](^3^)