Characters / Red World Balkans

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Balkans

Albania

Official Name: Albanian United People's Republic, Republic of Albania (Revolutionary Socialist/National Bolshevik/Democratic/Nationalist), Kingdom of Albania (Monarchist), Albanian State (Fascist)

Ruling Party: Party of Labour

Ideology: Stalinism^note Communism

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• Alternate History: The Albanian-Soviet split never happened in RWTL due to no De-Stalinization or Invasion of Czechoslovakia to sour Albanian-Soviet relations, meaning Albania is still a member of the Warsaw Pact
• Dragon-in-Chief: Nexhmije Hoxha, the widow of First Secretary Enver Hoxha wields significant immense influence over both the state and the PLA, even though her position as chairwoman of the Union of Albanian Woman and head of the country's propaganda department is intended to be a largely ceremonial role. Her influence is so great that many see her as the paramount leader of Albania, rather than Milloshi.
• No OSHA Compliance: The average industrial worker in Albania has to suffer through poor working conditions for wages that often aren't enough to afford the expensive goods that are imported from abroad.
• Polluted Wasteland: Due to the country's aggressive industrialization policies, Albania is considered a European industrial powerhouse. This has come at the expense of the ecological health of the country, which suffers from rampant pollution and a critically underdeveloped countryside and agricultural sector.
• State Sec: Albania is noted to be one of the most repressive states in the Warsaw Pact, which is impressive considering it consists mostly of communist dictatorship
• The Great Wall: Due to being geographically isolated from the rest of the Warsaw Pact and sharing a majority of its border with the non-aligned Yugoslavia, one of the most notable policies of Enver Hoxha was the construction of hundreds of thousands of bunkers across the country. Due to the geopolitical situation being mostly the same since their construction, many of these bunkers still remain.

Hysni Milloshi

Role: Head of State

Party: Party of Labour

Ideology: Stalinism^note Communism

In-Game Biography: ^{Click to Show} Hysni Milloshi has been an obscure figure for most of his life. He was not a politician, but an author and a poet with a low-ranking membership in the Party of Labour. He was also a loyal supporter of long-time First Secretary Enver Hoxha. Milloshi’s adherence to Hoxha’s political line made him skeptical of Hoxha’s successor, Ramiz Alia, who had pursued a policy of measured reform after coming to power in 1985. Though Albania was still one of the most repressive states in the Warsaw Pact, Milloshi published several public letters and poems critical of the First Secretary. To his surprise he found not only supporters among the public, but also sponsors among the higher ranks of the party. Together they formed a popular movement against reform which catapulted Milloshi to national prominence, eventually forcing Alia to concede to the now growing faction of hardliners in the government. With the help of his benefactors, Milloshi rose through the ranks of the party to eventually become a member of the Central Committee. After Alia’s untimely death in 2002, the party looked for a younger leader who could bring unity to the country. Eventually Hysni Milloshi was given the tacit approval of Nexhmije Hoxha, becoming the undisputed leader of Albania. His time in power has seen the complete reversal of Alia’s limited reforms and a return to the totalitarianism of the Hoxha era. Though Albania remains isolated and economically backwards, Milloshi has kept the country afloat through development aid from the Warsaw Pact while continuing to prepare for a potential Yugoslav invasion.

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• Dirty Communist: He's a Stalinist-like dictator of one of the most totalitarian states in the Warsaw Pact.
• Evil Reactionary: A communist variant. Opposing the reformist policies of First Secretary Ramiz Alia, Milloshi would eventually undo many of these policies after succeding Alia.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: Before his rise to power Milloshi was considered a very obscure figure, only being a low-level member of the PLA and not even a politician. It was only after becoming a vocal critic of First Secretary Ramiz Alia that he began climbing the ranks of the party and reached to position of First Secretary.
• The Rival: To Alia, being one of his biggest critics and the leader of the hardline faction against Alias reforms.
• Undying Loyalty: Milloshi was a loyal supporter of First Secretary Enver Hoxha and continued to follow Hoxha's political line after his passing and during the reign of Ramiz Alia. Later after becoming First Secretary, Milloshi's primary purpose was to restore the totalitarianism of the Hoxha era and remove any traces of reform.

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

^{Flag of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia} 

Official Name: Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Democratic/Nationalist), Kingdom of Yugoslavia (Monarchist), National Union of Yugoslavia (National Bolshevik/Fascist)

Ruling Party: League of Communists of Yugoslavia – Titoists

Ideology: Titoism^note Revolutionary Socialism

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• Arch-Nemesis: Part of the Italian Union focus tree (if the player or AI decides to remain communist) involves declaring war on Yugoslavia and turning it into a puppet.
• Balkanize Me: The Warsaw Pact can invade, which usually results in one or two states getting released and puppeted.
• The Federation: Presented as one, but since the beginning of the Milošević era, the Belgrade government has been centralizing more power to Serbia.
• Spared by the Adaptation: Unlike in our timeline, Yugoslavia survives beyond the 1990s, and continues to be a thorn in the side of the Soviets in Eastern Europe.
• We ARE Struggling Together: Yugoslavia was formed out of the desire for a united Slavic nation following the First World War, with the borders comprised of former Austro-Hungarian territory. While Tito kept the country united under the broader Yugoslav nationalist identity, the aftermath of his death has led to increased centralization to Serbia, with most of the decision making done in Belgrade. This has increased ethnic tensions from the Croats, Slovenes, Macedonians, Bosnians, and Kosovo-Albanians. However, the government in Belgrade continues to portray the people as united Yugoslavians.

Slobodan Milošević

Role: Head of State

Party: League of Communists of Yugoslavia – Titoists

Ideology: Titoism^note Revolutionary Socialism, Nationalism (Rumored)

In-Game Biography: ^{Click to Show} A controversial leader in Yugoslav politics ever since the 1980s, Slobodan Milošević first rose to prominence with the support of Serbian president Ivan Stambolić. He became notorious in 1987 when he, at a session of the Central Committee, went against his former sponsor to demand a harder line on the controversial Autonomous Province of Kosovo. Stambolić was humiliated by the affair and ultimately forced to resign, with the popular Milošević taking his place as president of Serbia. Soon afterwards the governments of Montenegro, Vojvodina and Kosovo were likewise overthrown, their respective leaderships replaced with Milošević loyalists. Tensions heightened as Milošević and his allies now held de-facto veto power in the presidency of Yugoslavia, while the other republics accused him of exploiting Serbian nationalism for his own gain. This crisis came to a head at the 14th Party Congress in 1990, where Milošević struck a controversial deal with prime minister Ante Marković to push through a new constitution, with more power vested in the central government. In turn both Kosovo and Vojvodina gave up their votes in the presidency, to the anger of many in the two provinces. The compromise was ultimately successful in lowering the tensions in the country. Milošević would go on to serve two terms as president of Serbia before being elected president of Yugoslavia in 1997. As leader he has overturned half a century of Titoist foreign policy, normalizing relations with the Soviet Union and forging closer ties with the European Union of Socialist Republics. While he is still a divisive figure, many Yugoslavs hold a lot of respect for the aging Slobodan Milošević, who helped lead the country through one of the most turbulent periods in history.

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• Patriotic Fervor: Milošević appears to be committed to the survival of Yugoslavia and keeping the Southern Slavs united as a single nation. There are rumours he is a diehard Serbian nationalist whose goal is to form either a Greater Serbia or fully centralize power.
• President for Life: Much like his predecessor, Tito, it appears Milošević is destined to be this trope. Unless the Warsaw Pact invades.
• Spared by the Adaptation: Milošević died on March 11, 2006 of a heart attack while in jail awaiting trial in The Hague. In Red World, not only does he survive, but he also never gets prosecuted by the International Court of Justice as there was no Yugoslav Wars to splinter Yugoslavia apart in the 1990s and thus there was no chance for him to carry out any of the war crimes he was indicted for in OTL. However, he dies soon after the game start.

Ratko Mladic

Role: Head of State (Communist Italy puppets Yugoslavia)

Party: League of Communists of Yugoslavia – Stalinists

Ideology: Stalinism^note Communism

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• Murder Is the Best Solution: Mladic resorted to massacres in order to quell the rebelling Bosniak nationalists fighting for a free Bosnia during the 1990s. These atrocities have earned him the nickname The Butcher of Bosnia.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Mladic is from the Republik Srpska in Bosnia, and is openly prejudiced against the Bosniak-Muslims.
• Puppet King: In most cases where Mladic comes to power, it's because the Italian Union has gone down the focus tree path allowing them to invade and puppet Yugoslavia.

Yugoslav Breakaway States

Socialist Republic of Slovenia

Official Name: Socialist Republic of Slovenia, Republic of Slovenia (Democratic/Nationalist), National Republic of Slovenia (National Bolshevik/Fascist)

Ruling Party: League of Communists of Slovenia

Ideology: Neocommunism^note Communism

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Janez Janša

Role: Head of State

Party: League of Communists of Slovenia

Ideology: Neocommunism^note Communism

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Socialist Republic of Croatia

Official Name: Socialist Republic of Croatia, Republic of Croatia (Democratic/Nationalist), Kingdom of Croatia (Monarchist) Independent State of Croatia (Fascist)

Ruling Party: League of Communists of Croatia

Ideology: New Democracy

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Ivo Josipović

Role: Head of State

Party: League of Communists of Croatia

Ideology: New Democracy

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Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Official Name: Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Democratic/National Bolshevik/Nationalist), Kingdom of Bosnia (Monarchist), Islamic State of Bosnia (Fascist)

Ruling Party: League of Communists of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ideology: European Moderate Socialism^note Moderate Socialism

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Zlatko Lagumdžija

Role: Head of State

Party: League of Communists of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ideology: European Moderate Socialism^note Moderate Socialism

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Socialist Republic of Montenegro

Official Name: Socialist Republic of Montenegro, Montenegro (Democratic/Fascist), Kingdom of Montenegro (Monarchist)

Ideology: European Moderate Socialism^note Moderate Socialism

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Milo Đukanović

Role: Head of State

Party: League of Communists of Montenegro

Ideology: European Moderate Socialism^note Moderate Socialism

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Socialist Republic of Serbia

Official Name: Socialist Republic of Serbia, Republic of Serbia (Democratic/Nationalist), Kingdom of Serbia (Monarchist), Free State of Serbia (Fascist)

Ruling Party: League of Communists of Serbia - Loyalists

Ideology: National Bolshevism

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Ivica Dačić

Role: Head of State

Party: League of Communists of Serbia - Loyalists

Ideology: National Bolshevism

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