Just to be clear, the "blue jeans and rock" statement was in quotes because I only meant it as an analogy to the ideal of personal independence and expression. They wanted in on that culture. It became a desired theme, and understandably since the old system ran its course. A lot of people forget that Russia and other Soviet Republics were the last feudal holdovers in Europe. It's not hard to see why totalitarian regimes were supported there for so long. In general though, the people in eastern Europe come from the same Judeo-Christian stock as the west, they just had about 150 years of industrial and political catching up to create a climate for a liberal democracy.
The 70s and 80s really started to globalize capitalism to the point that people in the USSR couldn't ignore it any more. The same thing is happening with China now.
BTW Dis, propaganda does not mean brainwashing. Propaganda does not have to be false information. It can also be the promotion or exclusion of true information. It's really just a promotion of doctrine, or spreading information for a cause. If I told someone living in a communist country that capitalism allowed me the freedom to be independent and self-employed, it would be true, but at the same time it would be a form of propaganda.
__________________
"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
|