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'''Communist nostalgia''', also known as '''socialist nostalgia''', is a political and cultural phenomenon in former [[Socialist state|socialist states]] where large portions of the population long for a return to [[socialism]] as they become disillusioned with the new [[capitalist]] system that replaced it.
[[File:Communist nostalgia map.png|thumb|436x436px|Percentage of people who said life was better under socialism and/or that the [[Overthrow of the Soviet Union|fall of the USSR]] harmed their country. White numbers indicate polls that had an option for neutral or "don't know," meaning some of these countries have a pro-communist plurality but no majority.]]
'''Communist nostalgia''', also known as '''socialist nostalgia''', is a political and cultural phenomenon in former [[Socialist state|socialist states]] where significant portions of the population and oftentimes majorities long for a return to [[socialism]] as they become disillusioned with the new [[capitalist]] system that replaced it.


== Former Soviet countries ==
Contrary to the notion that nostalgia for socialism is only popular in ex-communist countries among the college-educated youth who never experienced it, older generations as well as non-college-educated people across the board in former [[Eastern Bloc]] countries are less likely to approve of the change to a [[market economy]], less likely to approve of the change to a [[multi-party system]], and less likely to be satisfied with their current lives.<ref name=":4" />
 
== Former Soviet republics ==


=== Armenia ===
=== Armenia ===
71% of [[Republic of Armenia|Armenians]] believe life was better in the [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (1922–1991)|Soviet Union]],<ref name=":0">{{Web citation|author=Will Stewart|newspaper=Express|title=Back in the USSR: 64 per cent of Russians say life was better in the Soviet Union than now|date=2016-08-17|url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/701026/russians-life-better-soviet-union-ussr-sixty-four-percent|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616141354/https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/701026/russians-life-better-soviet-union-ussr-sixty-four-percent|archive-date=2022-06-16|retrieved=2022-09-24}}</ref> and only 12% believe Armenia benefitted from the overthrow of the Soviet Union in 1991.<ref name=":1">{{Web citation|author=Neli Esipova, Julie Ray|newspaper=Gallup|title=Former Soviet Countries See More Harm From Breakup|date=2013-12-19|url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/166538/former-soviet-countries-harm-breakup.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828070321/https://news.gallup.com/poll/166538/former-soviet-countries-harm-breakup.aspx|archive-date=2022-08-28|retrieved=2022-09-24}}</ref>
71% of [[Republic of Armenia|Armenians]] believe life was better in the Soviet Union,<ref name=":0">{{Web citation|author=Will Stewart|newspaper=Express|title=Back in the USSR: 64 per cent of Russians say life was better in the Soviet Union than now|date=2016-08-17|url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/701026/russians-life-better-soviet-union-ussr-sixty-four-percent|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616141354/https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/701026/russians-life-better-soviet-union-ussr-sixty-four-percent|archive-date=2022-06-16|retrieved=2022-09-24}}</ref> and only 12% believe Armenia benefitted from the overthrow of the Soviet Union in 1991.<ref name=":1">{{Web citation|author=Neli Esipova, Julie Ray|newspaper=Gallup|title=Former Soviet Countries See More Harm From Breakup|date=2013-12-19|url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/166538/former-soviet-countries-harm-breakup.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828070321/https://news.gallup.com/poll/166538/former-soviet-countries-harm-breakup.aspx|archive-date=2022-08-28|retrieved=2022-09-24}}</ref>
 
=== Azerbaijan ===
69% of [[Republic of Azerbaijan|Azerbaijanis]] think life was better in the Soviet Union.<ref name=":0" />
 
=== Belarus ===
53% of [[Republic of Belarus|Belarusians]] believe life was better in the Soviet Union.<ref name=":0" />
 
=== Estonia ===
=== Georgia ===
57% of [[Georgia (country)|Georgians]] see [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]] positively compared to only 18% for [[Mikhail Gorbachev|Gorbachev]].<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Pew Resarch Center|title=Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe|date=2017-05-10|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2017/05/10/religious-belief-and-national-belonging-in-central-and-eastern-europe/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007031807/https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2017/05/10/religious-belief-and-national-belonging-in-central-and-eastern-europe/|archive-date=2023-10-07}}</ref>


=== Kazakhstan ===
=== Kazakhstan ===
In the [[Republic of Kazakhstan]], 60% of people believe life was better in the Soviet Union.<ref name=":0" />
60% of [[Republic of Kazakhstan|Kazakhstanis]] people believe life was better in the Soviet Union.<ref name=":0" /> 82.4% believed that the Soviet Union responded to citizens' needs.<ref name=":3">{{Citation|author=Kelly M. McMann|year=2005|title=Central Asians and the State: Nostalgia for the Soviet Era|pdf=https://web.archive.org/web/20221227064639/https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/nceeer/2005_818_09_McMann.pdf|publisher=Case Western Reserve}}</ref>
 
=== Kyrgyzstan ===
61% of [[Kyrgyz Republic|Kyrgyz]] people believe the dissolution of the USSR harmed Kyrgyzstan and only 16% say it helped.<ref name=":1" /> 87% believed that the USSR responded to citizens' needs.<ref name=":3" />
 
=== Latvia ===
 
=== Lithuania ===


=== Moldova ===
=== Moldova ===
60% of [[Republic of Moldova|Moldovans]] who lived in the Soviet Union say life was better then.<ref name=":0" />
60% of [[Republic of Moldova|Moldovans]] who lived in the Soviet Union say life was better then.<ref name=":0" /> Only 26% say Moldova benefitted from the dissolution of the USSR.<ref name=":1" />


=== Russia ===
=== Russia ===
In the [[Russian Federation]], 75% of people believe that the USSR was the best time period in Russian history.<ref>[https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/03/24/75-of-russians-say-soviet-era-was-greatest-time-in-countrys-history-poll-a69735 75% of Russians Say Soviet Era Was 'Greatest Time' in Country’s History – Poll]</ref> 64% of Russians believe that life was actually better under the USSR.<ref name=":0" /> 55% of Russians believe that the overthrow of the Soviet Union caused more harm than good compared to 19% who support the change to capitalism.<ref name=":1" />
[[File:Russian communists.png|thumb|350x350px|Russians celebrating the legacy of the [[Soviet Union]]]]
In the [[Russian Federation]], 75% of people believe that the USSR was the best time period in Russian history.<ref>[https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/03/24/75-of-russians-say-soviet-era-was-greatest-time-in-countrys-history-poll-a69735 75% of Russians Say Soviet Era Was 'Greatest Time' in Country’s History – Poll]</ref> In 2009, 58% of Russians said it was a "great misfortune" that the Soviet Union no longer exists.<ref name=":4">{{Web citation|newspaper=Pew Research Center|title=End of Communism Cheered But Now with More Reservations|date=2009-11-02|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2009/11/02/chapter-7-nationalism/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401210644/https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2009/11/02/chapter-7-nationalism/|archive-date=2023-04-01}}</ref> In 2019, [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]] had a 70% approval rating in Russia.<ref>{{News citation|newspaper=[[In Defense of Communism]]|title=Anticommunism Fails: 70% of Russians have a positive opinion on Joseph Stalin|date=2019-04-17|url=http://www.idcommunism.com/2019/04/anticommunism-fails-70-of-russians-have-positive-view-on-joseph-stalin.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629093512/https://www.idcommunism.com/2019/04/anticommunism-fails-70-of-russians-have-positive-view-on-joseph-stalin.html|archive-date=2021-06-29}}</ref>
 
In 1999, 58% of Russians agreed that their country should have stayed how it was before 1985, and only 27% disagreed.<ref name=":05">{{Citation|author=Austin Murphy|year=2000|title=The Triumph of Evil|chapter=The Documented Facts about Eastern Europe and Communism|page=71|pdf=https://mltheory.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/austin-murphy-the-triumph-of-evil.pdf|city=Fucecchio|publisher=European Press Academic Publishing|isbn=8883980026}}</ref> 64% of Russians believe that life was actually better under the USSR.<ref name=":0" /> 55% of Russians believe that the overthrow of the Soviet Union caused more harm than good compared to 19% who support the change to capitalism.<ref name=":1" />


62% of Russians prefer a [[planned economy]] over a [[market economy]] and 49% prefer the Soviet political system, including 62% aged 55 and older.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Levada|title=What Do Russians Think Russia Should Be Like?|date=2021-10-05|url=https://www.levada.ru/en/2021/10/05/what-do-russians-think-russia-should-be-like/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521003718/https://www.levada.ru/en/2021/10/05/what-do-russians-think-russia-should-be-like/|archive-date=2022-05-21|retrieved=2022-09-24}}</ref>
62% of Russians prefer a [[planned economy]] over a [[market economy]] and 49% prefer the Soviet political system, including 62% aged 55 and older.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Levada|title=What Do Russians Think Russia Should Be Like?|date=2021-10-05|url=https://www.levada.ru/en/2021/10/05/what-do-russians-think-russia-should-be-like/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521003718/https://www.levada.ru/en/2021/10/05/what-do-russians-think-russia-should-be-like/|archive-date=2022-05-21|retrieved=2022-09-24}}</ref>
=== Tajikistan ===
52% of people in [[Republic of Tajikistan|Tajikistan]] believe the dissolution of the USSR harmed their country, and only 27% believe it helped.<ref name=":1" />


=== Ukraine ===
=== Ukraine ===
62% of Ukrainians believe that life was better under socialism.<ref name=":2">{{Web citation|newspaper=Pew Research Center|title=People Worse off than Under Communism?|date=2010-04-21|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2009/11/02/end-of-communism-cheered-but-now-with-more-reservations/communism220px/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112035654/https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2009/11/02/end-of-communism-cheered-but-now-with-more-reservations/communism220px/|archive-date=2020-11-12|retrieved=2022-09-24}}</ref> 56% of Ukrainians believe the breakup of the Soviet Union was bad for Ukraine and only 23% say it was good.<ref name=":1" />
62% of [[Ukraine|Ukrainians]] believe that life was better under socialism.<ref name=":2">{{Web citation|newspaper=Pew Research Center|title=People Worse off than Under Communism?|date=2010-04-21|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2009/11/02/end-of-communism-cheered-but-now-with-more-reservations/communism220px/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112035654/https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2009/11/02/end-of-communism-cheered-but-now-with-more-reservations/communism220px/|archive-date=2020-11-12|retrieved=2022-09-24}}</ref> 56% of Ukrainians believe the breakup of the Soviet Union was bad for Ukraine and only 23% say it was good.<ref name=":1" />
 
=== Uzbekistan ===
In 2005, 70.2% of Uzbeks agreed that the Soviet government responded to citizens' needs.<ref name=":3" />


== Eastern Bloc ==
== Eastern Bloc ==
=== Albania ===
55% of [[People's Socialist Republic of Albania (1946–1992)|Albanians]] have a positive view of former leader [[Enver Hoxha]].<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Tirana Times|title=Former dictator still seen in positive light by many Albanians, poll shows|date=2016-12-09|url=https://www.tiranatimes.com/?p=130276|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827105957/https://www.tiranatimes.com/?p=130276?p=130276|archive-date=2022-08-27|retrieved=2022-10-08}}</ref>


=== Bulgaria ===
=== Bulgaria ===
62% of Bulgarians say life was better in the [[People's Republic of Bulgaria (1946–1990)|People's Republic of Bulgaria]].<ref name=":2" />
62% of [[Republic of Bulgaria|Bulgarians]] say life was better in the [[People's Republic of Bulgaria (1946–1990)|People's Republic of Bulgaria]].<ref name=":2" />


=== Czechoslovakia ===
=== Czechia ===
66% of people in [[Slovak Republic|Slovakia]] believe life was better under socialism and only 8% believe it was worse.<ref>{{Web citation|author=Robert A. Lindsay|newspaper=Beyond Highbrow|title=Nostalgia For Communism in Russia and Eastern Europe|date=2010-05-16|url=https://robertlindsay.wordpress.com/2010/05/16/nostalgia-for-communism-in-russia-and-eastern-europe/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170714235645/https://robertlindsay.wordpress.com/2010/05/16/nostalgia-for-communism-in-russia-and-eastern-europe/}}</ref>
Nostalgia for communism isn't very common in the [[Czech Republic]]. In 2009, only 47% of Czechs polled said that life is better now than it was under communism compared to 39% who said it was worse. When specifically asked about the economic situation, 45% said that things are better now than they were under communism as opposed to 39% who stated that things are worse. 80% of Czechs polled approved of the change from a [[one-party state]] to a [[Multi-party system|multi-party state]] and 79% approved of the change from a [[planned economy]] to a [[market economy]] (with 63% agreeing that most people are better off under the [[free market]]). 49% were satisfied with their lives in 2009 compared to only 23% in 1991. When asked to rate their lives on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being "the best possible life for you", a relative majority of Czechs (49%) answered with a 7 or higher in 2009.<ref name=":4" />
 
Communism's relative unpopularity among Czechs is reflected in [[Parliament of the Czech Republic|the government]], with not a single person in the [[Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic|Chamber of Deputies]] being a member of the [[Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia|Czech Communist Party]] since the [[2021 Czech parliamentary election|2021 election]]. The older generation is typically less satisfied with liberal reforms and the current state of things in their country,<ref name=":4" /> with the average age for KSČM members being 75 according to the party's own newspaper.<ref>[[Ivana Kottasová|Kottasová, Ivana]] (2021-11-08).: [https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/08/europe/czech-parliament-communists-out-intl/index.html "Communists have now left the Czech parliament, more than three decades after the Velvet Revolution"]. [[Cable News Network|''CNN'']]. Retrieved 2024-12-23.</ref>
 
With all that being said, 53% of Czechs polled think that the [[dissolution of Czechoslovakia]] was a bad idea, and those polled are evenly split on whether or not they're satisfied with their new "democracy." Only 18% of Czechs think that elected officials care what they think, down from 34% in 1991. In 1991, 87% of Czechs supported the move towards a free market; in 2009, only 79% did. A relative majority of 37% of Czechs said that their country's economic integration into the [[European Union|EU]] weakened their economy compared to 31% who say that their economy was strengthened. 70% are dissatisfied with the way things are going in their country.<ref name=":4" />


=== Germany ===
=== Germany ===
In the [[Federal Republic of Germany]], 57% people living in the territory that was once controlled by the [[German Democratic Republic (1949–1990)|German Democratic Republic]] (GDR) believe that life was better under socialist rule. 49% of former GDR residents believe that "The GDR had more good sides than bad sides. There were some problems, but life was good there."<ref>[https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/homesick-for-a-dictatorship-majority-of-eastern-germans-feel-life-better-under-communism-a-634122.html Majority of Eastern Germans Feel Life Better under Communism]</ref>
In former [[German Democratic Republic (1949–1990)|East Germany]], 57% of the population polled believes that life was better under socialist rule. 49% of former GDR residents believe that "The GDR had more good sides than bad sides. There were some problems, but life was good there."<ref>[https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/homesick-for-a-dictatorship-majority-of-eastern-germans-feel-life-better-under-communism-a-634122.html Majority of Eastern Germans Feel Life Better under Communism]</ref> Nostalgia for East Germany is so common that there's even a word for it: '''''Ostalgie''''', a [[portmanteau]] of the words ''Ost'' (meaning "east") and ''Nostalgie'' ("nostalgia"), sometimes [[Anglicisation|anglicised]] as ''Ostalgia'' or ''Eastalgia''.


=== Hungary ===
=== Hungary ===
In [[Hungary]], an outstanding majority of people numbering at 72% believe that life was better in the [[Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989)|Hungarian People's Republic]].<ref>[https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2010/04/28/hungary-better-off-under-communism/ Hungary: Better Off Under Communism?]</ref>
In [[Hungary]], an outstanding majority of people numbering at 72% believe that life was better in the [[Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989)|Hungarian People's Republic]].<ref name=":2" />


=== Poland ===
=== Romania ===
=== Romania ===
69% of Romanians believe life was better under socialism and 66% would vote for former leader [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]] if he was still alive.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=El Mundo|title='Con el comunismo se vivía mejor': el 66% de los rumanos votaría al dictador Ceausescu|date=2014-04-10|url=https://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2014/04/10/5346de4d268e3e8f598b458c.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115111100/https://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2014/04/10/5346de4d268e3e8f598b458c.html|archive-date=202201-15|retrieved=2022-09-24}}</ref>
One 2014 survey found that 69% of [[Romania|Romanians]] believe life was better under socialism and 66% would vote for former leader [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]] if he was still alive.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=El Mundo|title='Con el comunismo se vivía mejor': el 66% de los rumanos votaría al dictador Ceausescu|date=2014-04-10|url=https://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2014/04/10/5346de4d268e3e8f598b458c.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115111100/https://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2014/04/10/5346de4d268e3e8f598b458c.html|archive-date=2022-01-15|retrieved=2022-09-24}}</ref>
 
=== Slovakia ===
66% of people in [[Slovak Republic|Slovakia]] believe life was better under socialism and only 8% believe it was worse.<ref>{{Web citation|author=Robert A. Lindsay|newspaper=Beyond Highbrow|title=Nostalgia For Communism in Russia and Eastern Europe|date=2010-05-16|url=https://robertlindsay.wordpress.com/2010/05/16/nostalgia-for-communism-in-russia-and-eastern-europe/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170714235645/https://robertlindsay.wordpress.com/2010/05/16/nostalgia-for-communism-in-russia-and-eastern-europe/}}</ref> However, a relative majority of Slovaks (49%) think that the dissolution of Czechoslovakia was a good thing.<ref name=":4" />
 
== Other countries ==
 
=== Afghanistan ===
 
=== Angola ===
 
=== Mongolia ===
 
=== Yugoslavia ===
 
==== Bosnia and Herzegovina ====
 
==== Croatia ====
 
==== Macedonia ====
 
==== Montenegro ====
 
==== Serbia ====
81% of [[Republic of Serbia|Serbians]] believe life was better under socialism.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Balkan Insight|title=Serbia Poll: Life Was Better Under Tito|date=2010-12-24|url=https://balkaninsight.com/2010/12/24/for-simon-poll-serbians-unsure-who-runs-their-country/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509215855/https://balkaninsight.com/2010/12/24/for-simon-poll-serbians-unsure-who-runs-their-country/|archive-date=2022-05-09|retrieved=2022-10-08}}</ref>
 
==== Slovenia ====


== References ==
== References ==
<references />
<references />
[[Category:Stubs]]
[[Category:Debunking myths]]

Latest revision as of 19:24, 23 December 2024

Percentage of people who said life was better under socialism and/or that the fall of the USSR harmed their country. White numbers indicate polls that had an option for neutral or "don't know," meaning some of these countries have a pro-communist plurality but no majority.

Communist nostalgia, also known as socialist nostalgia, is a political and cultural phenomenon in former socialist states where significant portions of the population and oftentimes majorities long for a return to socialism as they become disillusioned with the new capitalist system that replaced it.

Contrary to the notion that nostalgia for socialism is only popular in ex-communist countries among the college-educated youth who never experienced it, older generations as well as non-college-educated people across the board in former Eastern Bloc countries are less likely to approve of the change to a market economy, less likely to approve of the change to a multi-party system, and less likely to be satisfied with their current lives.[1]

Former Soviet republics[edit | edit source]

Armenia[edit | edit source]

71% of Armenians believe life was better in the Soviet Union,[2] and only 12% believe Armenia benefitted from the overthrow of the Soviet Union in 1991.[3]

Azerbaijan[edit | edit source]

69% of Azerbaijanis think life was better in the Soviet Union.[2]

Belarus[edit | edit source]

53% of Belarusians believe life was better in the Soviet Union.[2]

Estonia[edit | edit source]

Georgia[edit | edit source]

57% of Georgians see Stalin positively compared to only 18% for Gorbachev.[4]

Kazakhstan[edit | edit source]

60% of Kazakhstanis people believe life was better in the Soviet Union.[2] 82.4% believed that the Soviet Union responded to citizens' needs.[5]

Kyrgyzstan[edit | edit source]

61% of Kyrgyz people believe the dissolution of the USSR harmed Kyrgyzstan and only 16% say it helped.[3] 87% believed that the USSR responded to citizens' needs.[5]

Latvia[edit | edit source]

Lithuania[edit | edit source]

Moldova[edit | edit source]

60% of Moldovans who lived in the Soviet Union say life was better then.[2] Only 26% say Moldova benefitted from the dissolution of the USSR.[3]

Russia[edit | edit source]

Russians celebrating the legacy of the Soviet Union

In the Russian Federation, 75% of people believe that the USSR was the best time period in Russian history.[6] In 2009, 58% of Russians said it was a "great misfortune" that the Soviet Union no longer exists.[1] In 2019, Stalin had a 70% approval rating in Russia.[7]

In 1999, 58% of Russians agreed that their country should have stayed how it was before 1985, and only 27% disagreed.[8] 64% of Russians believe that life was actually better under the USSR.[2] 55% of Russians believe that the overthrow of the Soviet Union caused more harm than good compared to 19% who support the change to capitalism.[3]

62% of Russians prefer a planned economy over a market economy and 49% prefer the Soviet political system, including 62% aged 55 and older.[9]

Tajikistan[edit | edit source]

52% of people in Tajikistan believe the dissolution of the USSR harmed their country, and only 27% believe it helped.[3]

Ukraine[edit | edit source]

62% of Ukrainians believe that life was better under socialism.[10] 56% of Ukrainians believe the breakup of the Soviet Union was bad for Ukraine and only 23% say it was good.[3]

Uzbekistan[edit | edit source]

In 2005, 70.2% of Uzbeks agreed that the Soviet government responded to citizens' needs.[5]

Eastern Bloc[edit | edit source]

Albania[edit | edit source]

55% of Albanians have a positive view of former leader Enver Hoxha.[11]

Bulgaria[edit | edit source]

62% of Bulgarians say life was better in the People's Republic of Bulgaria.[10]

Czechia[edit | edit source]

Nostalgia for communism isn't very common in the Czech Republic. In 2009, only 47% of Czechs polled said that life is better now than it was under communism compared to 39% who said it was worse. When specifically asked about the economic situation, 45% said that things are better now than they were under communism as opposed to 39% who stated that things are worse. 80% of Czechs polled approved of the change from a one-party state to a multi-party state and 79% approved of the change from a planned economy to a market economy (with 63% agreeing that most people are better off under the free market). 49% were satisfied with their lives in 2009 compared to only 23% in 1991. When asked to rate their lives on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being "the best possible life for you", a relative majority of Czechs (49%) answered with a 7 or higher in 2009.[1]

Communism's relative unpopularity among Czechs is reflected in the government, with not a single person in the Chamber of Deputies being a member of the Czech Communist Party since the 2021 election. The older generation is typically less satisfied with liberal reforms and the current state of things in their country,[1] with the average age for KSČM members being 75 according to the party's own newspaper.[12]

With all that being said, 53% of Czechs polled think that the dissolution of Czechoslovakia was a bad idea, and those polled are evenly split on whether or not they're satisfied with their new "democracy." Only 18% of Czechs think that elected officials care what they think, down from 34% in 1991. In 1991, 87% of Czechs supported the move towards a free market; in 2009, only 79% did. A relative majority of 37% of Czechs said that their country's economic integration into the EU weakened their economy compared to 31% who say that their economy was strengthened. 70% are dissatisfied with the way things are going in their country.[1]

Germany[edit | edit source]

In former East Germany, 57% of the population polled believes that life was better under socialist rule. 49% of former GDR residents believe that "The GDR had more good sides than bad sides. There were some problems, but life was good there."[13] Nostalgia for East Germany is so common that there's even a word for it: Ostalgie, a portmanteau of the words Ost (meaning "east") and Nostalgie ("nostalgia"), sometimes anglicised as Ostalgia or Eastalgia.

Hungary[edit | edit source]

In Hungary, an outstanding majority of people numbering at 72% believe that life was better in the Hungarian People's Republic.[10]

Poland[edit | edit source]

Romania[edit | edit source]

One 2014 survey found that 69% of Romanians believe life was better under socialism and 66% would vote for former leader Nicolae Ceaușescu if he was still alive.[14]

Slovakia[edit | edit source]

66% of people in Slovakia believe life was better under socialism and only 8% believe it was worse.[15] However, a relative majority of Slovaks (49%) think that the dissolution of Czechoslovakia was a good thing.[1]

Other countries[edit | edit source]

Afghanistan[edit | edit source]

Angola[edit | edit source]

Mongolia[edit | edit source]

Yugoslavia[edit | edit source]

Bosnia and Herzegovina[edit | edit source]

Croatia[edit | edit source]

Macedonia[edit | edit source]

Montenegro[edit | edit source]

Serbia[edit | edit source]

81% of Serbians believe life was better under socialism.[16]

Slovenia[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

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