>As far as I can tell, many people (both on the right and the left) who had
>high hopes about the reform became very disillusioned about the situation.
>I also observed popularity of right-bent nihilism among the young people,
>which is manifested by a combination of materialism, conformism, and
>reverence for power. I think it is no coincidence that Poland was the only
>EU country where the polls showed support for Bush>
How is it Ukraine and Turkey seem determined to join the EU? Btw, is there a strong anti-Russian sentiment in Poland?
>4. Egalitarianism, mentioned by the article, might have been a part of the
>official ideology under "communism," but nobody took it seriously. Eastern
>Europeans tend to have a kulak mentality, combining greed and lust for
>social status. Because of the restriction on consumption (to increase
>investment) imposed by "communist" development policies, opportunities for
>getting rich were severely restricted, but not the desires. If I were to
>name only one significant factor accounting for the unpopularity of
>"communist" regimes in EE, it was the "egalitarianism" i.e. restricted
>ability to climb social ladders. The nauseating lust for status and wealth
>in EE was and still is widely spread.>
Don't Poles want to migrate to Germany (and elsewhere in Europe) for jobs?
>6. I think that the biggest winner of the post-communist reforms - not
>mentioned in the article - is the environment. The "communist" development
>policies had little regard for the environment, pollution and devastation of
>the environment were rampant. EU accession put a break on it.>
My impression is that East European countries made high quality films in the Soviet era. Is there any major cultural change in eastern Europe?
Ulhas