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groups such as eastern Germany's skinheads. Now well into the 21st century, more
of capitalism's realities, limits, and frustrations are sinking in.
I remember visits to the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War. Back then life was
bleak, gray, and demoralizing because of ongoing political repression and their un-
responsive Soviet-style command economy. Someone would dictate how many of
these and how much of that would be produced, ignoring the basic laws of sup-
ply and demand. It was a fiasco. On my early visits to Poland, people were tak-
ing their windshield wipers in with them at night. That's because the government
under-produced wipers, demand exceeded supply, and the thieves knew it. They'd
rip off somebody's wipers and sell them for a fortune on the black market. Today,
there are plenty of wipers produced and distributed to meet the demand, and people
are leaving their wipers on the car all night long in Warsaw.
Eastern Europe is enjoying freedom and a new affluence.
But Eastern Europe has put itself on a fast track to catch up with the West. In
fact, people in most countries we'd identify as “Eastern Europe” insist on being
called “ Central Europeans”—a name that's both politically and geographically cor-
rect. For better or for worse, mobile phones and McDonalds are every bit as en-
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