> having moved from capitalist America to post-communist Poland
Poland is definitely a very nice place to live right now, and improvements since the fall of the communist government is undeniable.
However, please note that not all Polish growth is just due to capitalism knocking to the door – the country is the recipient of a huge amount of EU funds[0]. To illustrate it, France, the 2nd largest net contributor to the EU budget, gives barely more than Poland receives, even though the population is a bit half as big.
Is it a bad thing? Not necessarily. But it is definitely not an illustration of a post-communist country standing by its own self.
Poland is definitely a very nice place to live right now, and improvements since the fall of the communist government is undeniable.
However, please note that not all Polish growth is just due to capitalism knocking to the door – the country is the recipient of a huge amount of EU funds[0]. To illustrate it, France, the 2nd largest net contributor to the EU budget, gives barely more than Poland receives, even though the population is a bit half as big.
Is it a bad thing? Not necessarily. But it is definitely not an illustration of a post-communist country standing by its own self.
[0] https://www.statista.com/chart/18794/net-contributors-to-eu-...