By the 1980s, the economic living standards for Soviets and East Germans were far below those of Westerners, with many Soviets living in poverty. Some basic foods, like sugar were rationed, and famers could not produce enough food to feed the population. The Communist regime was spending vast sums of money on military defence and nuclear weapons, rather than building up the economy and industry.

The situation was made worse by the fact that Eastern bloc countries had outdated machinery and factories, hampering their progress. The quality of manufactured goods was inferior to that of goods produced in the West. Shelves in the shops were bare and queues for basic necessities became an everyday experience. This was a way of keeping power – the people had neither freedom nor choice.

The reunification of Germany on 3 October 1990 marked the end of Communism in the former GDR, and Russia today can no longer be described as a Communist country.