Enver Hoxha led a high-ranking delegation to China for a visit which lasted from September 13 to October 3, 1956. The official reason for this trip was to attend the Eighth Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. Hoxha's true intentions seems to have been to gain support from the Chinese which would have the effect of relieving Soviet pressure upon Albania. Little is known about the exact nature of Enver Hoxha's meetings with Mao Zedong, however, a clear indication that Hoxha met with some degree of success can be seen in Albanian-Chinese trade figures. In 1955 (the year prior to Hoxha's visit to China), Chinese aid to Albania accounted for 4.2 percent of Albania's total passive trade balance; in 1956, this amount increased to 17 percent; in 1957, trade grew to 21.6 percent.68
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An international conference of the ruling Communist Parties convened in Moscow during November 12 to 14, 1957. Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia refused to attend and sent Edward Kardelj in his place.70 Yugoslavia also failed to sign the statement (which was signed by all other parties) issued at the end of the conference because it recognized the Soviet Union as the leader of the international Communist movement. These actions severely angered the Soviet Union as well as the rest of the Communist world. China also agreed (at this time) that the Soviet Union should lead the Communist movement. Mao Zedong said:
Our camp must have a head, because even the snake has a head, and imperialism has a head.... I would not agree that China should be called the head of the camp.... because we do not merit this honor and cannot maintain this role, we are still poor.71
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Hoxha's outburst had a profound effect on the Moscow gathering. A few other notable quotes from leaders of the various parties include this one by Wladyslaw Gomulka, the Polish leader, who said that the speech was “a disgusting, shameful, gangsterish, and irresponsible attack on Khrushchev and the Soviet Party.” Luigi Longo, the head of the Italian group described the speech as “not only disloyal but also infantile.” Maurice Thorez, the French Communist leader said:
The members of our delegation listened to [Hoxha's] speech with a feeling of shame. As militant Communists, they had never heard such language either in party meeting or in the meetings of the international Communist movement.... The path followed by the delegation of the Albanian Party was a very dangerous one.86
Enver Hoxha gave a speech entitled “The Dictatorship of the Proletariat in Albania is Alive, Vigilant and Active” which gives a succinct summary of the Albanian position toward Khrushchev and the Soviet Union in this period. Hoxha said:
Khrushchev and Co. probably think that through measures they have taken they will oblige us to pursue another line, to fall on our knees, and to hitch ourselves to their revisionist chariot. This is how they think themselves, because they are revisionists. We speak of our love for the Soviet people and Soviet communists, but at the same time we cannot sit back and not expose Khrushchev and his cronies.87
Mao Zedong's delegate Deng Xiaoping summarized China's position at the Conference of the Eighty-one Communist Parties as this:
...there are neither superior nor inferior parties in the international Communist movement. China would not recognize the Soviet Union or any other party as the leader of the international Communist movement, each party was completely independent.88
The Fourth Congress of the Albanian Party of Labor was held in Tiranë, from February 13 to 20, 1961, which turned out to be the last meeting the Soviet Union or other East European countries attended in Albania. During this congress, Soviet delegates were treated with hostility by their Albanian hosts while the Chinese delegates were treated warmly. Speeches given by Hoxha at this time declared that to follow the advice of Khrushchev and become less dictatorial would be suicidal because it would only lead to unrest which occurred in Hungary and Poland in 1956. Mehmet Shehu, in a speech admitted that he and other high officials of the Albanian Party of Labor were often accused of being tyrants and dogmatists. The reason for this according to Shehu was that unlike other adversaries, the Albanian Communists were true Marxists. Also announced at this congress was the basic outline of the Third Five-Year Plan (1961-1965). This called for the greatest investments in the economy to be put toward industry (China's advice) with little being put into agriculture (this went against Soviet advice).
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Serious notice of the impending rift was given in March 1961, when Albania was not invited to attend the meeting of the Warsaw Pact nations (Albania joined the Warsaw Pact on May 14, 1955). Enver Hoxha had member reference to the problems concerning Albania's membership in the Warsaw Pact during his speech entitled “Reject the Revisionist Theses of the XX Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Anti-Marxist Stand of Khrushchev's Group! Uphold Marxism-Leninism! Given on November 16, 1960 at the Meeting of the Eighty-one Communist Parties. According to Hoxha, Soviet Marshal Grechko, Commander-in-Chief of the Warsaw Pact said at a Chiefs of Staff of the Warsaw Pact nations meeting in Moscow: “'You are in the Warsaw Treaty only for the time being,' implying that Marshal Grechko seems to have decided to throw us out.”90
On April 25, 1961, all Soviet technicians were withdrawn from Albania and all economic aid was canceled. Also, all Albanian students studying in the Soviet Union were sent home. A further step was taken on May 26, when all Soviet submarines at Sazan were withdrawn.
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Enver Hoxha gave a speech to the Albanian National Assembly on November 7, 1961, in which he called Khrushchev a “revisionist, anti-Marxist, and a defeatist.” The Albanian leader portrayed Stalin as the ideal to be strived for; a true follower of Lenin. Stalin never “compromised” but always struggled for the purity of Marxism-Leninism. This speech is rather reminiscent of Hoxha's comments in his speech at the Moscow Meeting a year earlier. In that speech, Enver Hoxha summarized Albania's “official” position toward Stalin, which was:
The Party of Labor of Albania found itself in a great dilemma [at the Twentieth Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union]. It was not convinced and will never be convinced on the question of condemning Comrade Stalin in that way and in those forms that Comrade Khrushchev did it.
...The Party of Labor of Albania maintained a realistic stand on the question of Stalin. It was correct and grateful towards this glorious Marxist against whom, while he was alive, there was no one among us 'brave enough' to come out and criticize, but when he was dead a great deal of mud was thrown, creating in this way an intolerable situation in which a whole glorious epoch of the Soviet Union...is left without a helmsman, without a leader.99
The speech of November 7, 1961 is most noteworthy because in this speech Hoxha responded to Khrushchev's accusation that Albania would accept “thirty pieces of silver from the imperialists.” Enver Hoxha retorted with one of his most famous sayings (which may have been “borrowed” from another source):
...the Albanian people and their Party of Labor will even live on grass if need be, but thy will never sell themselves 'for 30 pieces of silver', ...They would rather die honourably on their feet than live in shame on their knees.100
The speech given by Hoxha caused the Soviet Union to break relations completely with Albania and the other Communist states of the eastern bloc to withdraw ambassadors on November 11, 1961.
The December 1961, issue of the Moscow-produced journal International Affairs in an article written by S. Sanakoyev gives the position (which can be assumed is the “official” position of the Soviet Union) that:
...The attitude of the present leadership of the Albanian Workers' Party which has set itself against the other countries of the world socialist system and the entire Communist movement is...the result of departing from the principles of proletarian internationalism and slipping into the morass of nationalism.101
Albania was also unofficially excluded (Albania was simply never invited to meetings anymore) from the Warsaw Pact and Council of Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON). From this point forward, Albania's closest and only ally was China.
) but in terms of Soviet Policy they did what they said. Scholars familiar with Pravda were shocked that there were no surprises in terms of Stalin's plans, etc. 
