> Indeed! The transition from massive illiteracy and poverty, from a
> decayed feudalism to a literate, skilled, healthy, and relatively
> comfortable population. I'd call that quite an achievement.
> Yes, massive corruption, which continues to this day. But that had
> more to do with the cultural and historical context than with the
> absence of markets.
That might be true for Bulgaria. What about about East Germany? They already had a literature, skilled, healthy, post-feudal and relatively comfortable population. What did the absence of markets do for them?
SA