[quote=Jazzman]
I don’t recall any country in Europe putting a man on the moon, or becoming a super power for that matter, building a huge industrial military complex, or even producing so many great gymnasts. There was Europe’s colonial past, which even the US fought against. The KGB was very effective and was considered, at least by Mi6, to be a force to be reckoned with. My point, therefore, is about the human experience, the collective wisdom available to us, and how it shapes what we are today. It is not about who ultimately is “better”, however you measure that. It seems there is also a case to be made about cultural conditioning and how that limits our ability to tap into the collective wisdom.[/quote]

How was all this benefited the general population? What was life like for the average citizen living behind the iron curtain?