{{Short description|Albanian communist politician (1913–1944)}} {{Infobox person | name = Vasil Shanto | image = Vasil Shanto (portrait).jpg | alt = | caption = | birth_date = 17 August 1913 | birth_place = Shkodër, Principality of Albania | death_date = 1 February 1944 (age 30) | death_place = Shkodër, Democratic Government of Albania | other_names = | known_for = Co-founder of the Albanian Communist Party | occupation = | relatives = Elisaveta Shanto (sister) | family = Shanto | awards = 17px Hero of the People | signature = }} '''Vasil Shanto''' (17 August 1913 – 1 February 1944), called '''Vasko''',{{sfn|Vojnoistorijski institut|1969|p=81}} was one of the founders of the Albanian Communist Party. He was the leader, along with Qemal Stafa, of the Shkodër communist group. One of the delegates of the party, he was frequently sent to meet with the Yugoslavian Communist Party.
==Early life== Shanto was born on August 17, 1913, in Shkodër to an Albanian family.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pipa |first=Arshi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nkhiAAAAMAAJ&q=Gheg+leaders+,+Qemal+Stafa+and+Vasil+Shanto |title=The Politics of Language in Socialist Albania |date=1989 |publisher=East European Monographs |isbn=978-0-88033-168-5 |language=en}}</ref> His family owned a bakery in Shkodër, and hailed from Struga.{{sfn|Mihajlov|1995|pp=264–265}} Prior to World War II, the family had a bakery in Tirana.{{sfn|Mihajlov|1995|pp=264–265}} In 1928, he joined the (early) Albanian Communist Party.{{sfn|Pavlović|1996|p=62}} He worked as a baker.{{sfn|Dedijer|1949|p=14}}
==World War II== At the time of the Italian invasion of Albania (April 7–12, 1939), the Shkodër communist group included Qemal Stafa, a student, Shanto, an artisan, Liri Gega, an intellectual, Imer Dishnica, a doctor, Zef Mala and others.{{sfn|Pavlović|1996|p=61}} The leaders were Mala, Shanto, Stafa and Themelko.{{sfn|Dedijer|1949|p=14}} The Shkodër group's activities also spanned over Kosovo and western Macedonia, and the organization included several emigrants from Gjakova and other places in Kosovo, who had moved to Albania between 1930 and 1937.{{sfn|Pavlović|1996|p=61}}
In spring 1941, Shanto and Stafa met with fellow Communist Fadil Hoxha due to his earlier contact with Yugoslav communist Miladin Popović.{{sfn|Dedijer|1949|p=11}} Miladin Popović and Dušan Mugoša were the Yugoslav delegates that helped unite the Albanian communist groups in 1941.<ref>{{cite book|title=Komunist: organ Centralnog komiteta KPJ.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7rM4AQAAIAAJ|year=1949|publisher=Borba|quote=Дугим радом и убеђивањем на састанцима с појединцима и с по двојицом-тројицом, другови Миладин Поповић и Душан Мугоша сломили су групашки отпор код већине албанских другова. Они су успели да их убеде како је Партија неопходна радпим масама у њи- ховој борби за ослобођење од капиталистичке експлоатације и импе- ријалистичког поробљавања. Тај рад довео је до састанка 8 новем- бра 1941 године, на коме је било присутно преко двадесет ...}}</ref>
In August 1941, the Albanian Communist Party was established through the agreement between the Shkodër (led by Shanto and Qemal Stafa), Korçë and Tirana (led by Enver Hoxha) communist groups.{{sfn|Pearson|2006b|p=158}} He was one of the founding assembly members from the Shkodër group along with Stafa, Kristo Themelko, and Tuk Jakova, in 8–14 November 1941 in Tirana.{{sfn|Pavlović|1996|p=64}} Among the founding members, there were 8 Christian members: Koço Tashko, Koçi Xoxe, Pandi Kristo, Gjin Marku, Vasil Shanto, Tuk Jakova, Kristo Themelko and Anastas Lula; and 5 Muslim members: Enver Hoxha, Qemal Stafa, Ramadan Çitaku, Kadri Hoxha, and Sadik Premte.<ref name="BojanićTerzić1997">{{cite book|author1=Dušanka Bojanić|author2=Slavenko Terzić|title=Islam, Balkan i velike sile (XIV-XX vek): međunarodni naučni skup 11-13. decembar 1996|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kHEvAQAAMAAJ|year=1997|publisher=Istorijski institut SANU|page=579|isbn=9788677430108}}</ref> In April 1942, there were only 300 communists in Albania.{{sfn|Jevtić|2014}}
Around 8 November 1943, Shanto arrived at the headquarters of 2nd Corpus of the Yugoslav Partisans in Kolašin (now Montenegro). He came in the capacity of delegacy of the Central Committee of the Albanian Communists to meet with Ivan Milutinović and the 2nd Corpus regarding party, political, and military questions important for the further development of the Albanian Communists.{{sfn|Institut za savremenu istoriju|1984|p=325}}
He came into conflict with Hoxha but this was concealed from the people.{{sfn|Pavlović|1996|p=62}} He was killed in action on 1 February 1944, in a skirmish with German led Albanian forces in Shkodër.{{sfn|Vojnoistorijski institut|1969|p=81}}<ref>Vasil Shanto: një jetë në shërbim të Partisë Komuniste të Shqipërisë Author Myslim Islami Publisher "8 Nëntori", 1981</ref>
Shanto's sister, Elisaveta,{{sfn|Mihajlov|1995|pp=264–265}} was married to Petar Bulatović-Bulat{{sfn|Pavlović|1996|p=62}} (Petro Bullati), who was a former colonel in the Albanian Ministry of Internal Affairs, with dual citizenship (Albanian and Yugoslavian).{{sfn|Vickers|2011|p=115}} Bullati was accused in 1956 of being an "enemy of the people" and "UDBA agent"{{sfn|Pearson|2006c|p=503}} and executed. Shanto's sister with the rest of the family were sent to an internment camp.<ref>{{cite web|author=Afrim Imaj|url=http://www.arkivalajmeve.com/Une-deshmitari-ne-pushkatimin-e-Liri-Geges-ishin-dhe-Kadri-Hazbiu-e-Fecor-Shehu.410274|title=Une deshmitari ne pushkatimin e Liri Geges ishin dhe Kadri Hazbiu e Fecor-Shehu|access-date=2015-06-14|archive-date=2015-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923173702/http://www.arkivalajmeve.com/Une-deshmitari-ne-pushkatimin-e-Liri-Geges-ishin-dhe-Kadri-Hazbiu-e-Fecor-Shehu.410274/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
==Sources== *{{cite book|last=Mihajlov|first=Mile|title=Kuzman Josifovski-Pitu: vreme, život, delo, 1915-1944 : prilozi od nauchniot održan na 23 i 24 fevruari 1944 godina vo Prilep|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E80xAAAAMAAJ|year=1995|publisher=Institut za nacionalna istorija|isbn=9789989624124}} *{{cite book|last=Pearson|first=Owen|title=Albania in the Twentieth Century, A History: Volume II: Albania in Occupation and War, 1939-45|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P3knunC7z_oC|year=2006b|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-1-84511-104-5}} *{{cite book|last=Pearson|first=Owen|title=Albania in the Twentieth Century, A History: Volume III: Albania as Dictatorship and Democracy, 1945-99|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D4wx7kQp4bgC|year=2006c|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-1-84511-105-2}} *{{cite book|last=Pavlović|first=Blagoje K.|title=Albanizacija Kosova i Metohije|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IoxpAAAAMAAJ|year=1996|publisher=Evropsko slovo}} *{{cite book|last=Vickers|first=Miranda|title=The Albanians: A Modern History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vtQABAAAQBAJ|year=2011|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-0-85773-655-0}} *{{cite book|last=Dedijer|first=Vladimir|year=1949|title=Jugoslovensko-albanski odnosi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z2_iAAAAMAAJ|publisher=Borba}}
;Journals *{{cite book|author=Vojnoistorijski institut|year=1969|title=Zbornik Dokumenta|volume=3|issue=10|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JTMyAQAAIAAJ}} *{{cite book|author=Institut za savremenu istoriju|year=1984|title=Sabrana djela|volume=18|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=__y0AAAAIAAJ|publisher=Komunist}}
;News articles *{{cite news|last=Jevtić|first=Miroljub|date=2014-11-30|title=Цела земља 300 комуниста!|publisher=Novosti|url=http://www.novosti.rs/%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%B8_%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%B6%D0%B0%D1%98.524.html:522066-Cela-zemlja-300-komunista}}
{{People's Hero of Albania}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shanto, Vasil}} Category:Albanian communists Category:1913 births Category:1944 deaths Category:People's Socialist Republic of Albania Category:Qemal Stafa High School alumni Category:People from Shkodër Category:Albanian resistance members Category:Military personnel killed in World War II Category:Heroes of Albania