Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
On May 1, 2004, eight formerly com-
munist nations joined the European
Union...and suddenly the EU grew by
75 million people. In 2007, two more
Soviet Bloc additions boosted the
population by another 30 million. In
just a few short years, the geographi-
cal center of Europe shifted from
Brussels to Prague.
Eastern Europe is changing fast.
Freedom is old news, communism is
a distant memory, and they have long
settled into the grind of capitalism.
In the 1990s, societies once forced to
espouse Soviet economics embraced
the capitalist work ethic with gusto—
as if making up for lost time. While
adjusting from the security
of a totalitarian system to
the insecurity of freedom,
my friends there reported
that younger and better-
educated people jumped
at this opportunity to get
ahead—working longer
hours, having fewer chil-
dren, and buying more
cars. On the other hand,
older people missed the
job security and sense
of safety while walking
down the streets that they
remember from the “good old, bad old
days.” And many less-educated young
people who see the new system work-
ing against them joined angry and rac-
ist groups such as eastern Germany's
skinheads. Now in 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 demoral-
izing because of ongoing political
repression and their unresponsive
Soviet-style command economy.
Someone would dictate how many of
these and how much of that would be
produced, ignoring the basic laws of
supply and demand. It was a fi asco.
On my early visits to Poland, people
were taking their windshield wipers
in with them at night. The govern-
ment under-produced wipers, and the
thieves knew it. They'd rip of some-
body's wipers and sell them for a for-
tune on the black market.
But Eastern Europe has put
itself on a fast track to catch up with
the West. Today, with a solid supply-
Eastern Europe is enjoying freedom and
a new al uence.
and-demand economy, the Poles
are leaving their windshield wipers
on their cars at night. Compared to
the 1980s, Eastern Europe feels like
a festival of pent-up entrepreneurial
spirit. And for me, each visit is a case
study in the fundamental wisdom of
free enterprise and the laws of supply
and demand.
