tantial radio network existed.
Throughout the 1960s there was only a single experimental television
transmitter, at the end of 1969, however, the government reportedly
requested the French to install a television system.

The press and radio were indispensable instruments in the efforts of the
Albanian Workers' Party (Communist Party) to revolutionize all aspects
of life. To supplement the formal channels, there were several thousand
Party activists who orally transmitted the Party line to the people on a
more personal and informal level.

The various aspects of culture, such as literature, art, music, and
drama, were also structured to promote the goals of the Party. They have
been used extensively to promote support among the masses for the Party
and its principles, to combat religion, and generally to increase the
political and social consciousness of the people.

The guidelines set forth by the Party for all writers and artists to
follow in their creative endeavors are the principles of socialist
realism. The general definition of this approach to art and literature
is that the form of creative works must be national, but their content
must be socialist. The principle of art for art's sake has been rejected
by the Communist leaders. All cultural developments must reflect the
efforts to create a socialist society.

The information media are controlled by the Party directly or indirectly
through the government and such organizations as labor unions, youth
groups, and cultural societies. Private ownership of such media has been
prohibited since the Communist regime came to power.

NATURE AND FUNCTIONS OF THE INFORMATION MEDIA

The media are invaluable instruments for the achievement of the goals of
the Communist leaders. When the Communist regime came to power in
November 1944, it seized control of all such media, although they were
not formally nationalized until 1946. From the outset, the press and
radio were used to justify and extend Communist rule. In general, the
function of the media has been to propagate Marxist-Leninist ideology,
as modified to relate to the specific conditions in Albania, and to
liquidate the traditional religious, social, and economic beliefs of the
people (see ch. 4, The People; ch. 2, Historical Setting).

The functions of the media have remained essentially unchanged
throughout the twenty-six years of rule by the Albanian Workers' Party.
The leaders have used the media extensivel