My parents were able to drive from Berlin into East Germany shortly before the Soviet fall (I forget how they had permission, they were in West Germany with a tour for my dad’s profession). They talked about how unreal it was, like going from color tv to b&w tv - everything was so drab and had a layer of dirt to it. They drove a little way in and stopped at a bakery. The place was open, but there was no food there. All the shelves were empty.
I’m glad the USSR fell, and opened things up for all of the eastern bloc. But I’ll say one good thing for growing up during its existence - we had a contrast that we could see, at least somewhat. I mean, it’s one thing to hear about, or see pictures of, lines and shortages, it’s another to actually see it firsthand. (The reality of seeing it firsthand was so depressing for my parents that they never ventured any further into the East Germany than that bakery - they hightailed it back to Berlin.)
Today’s younger generations haven’t grown up being able to see that contrast. They don’t know the reality of socialism. They only know the romanticized version they’ve been taught in school.
