Interesting quote from the article: Golitsyn's book has been dismissed as nonsense by CIA experts, pundits and journalists. "Yet of Golitsyn's falsifiable predictions, 139 out of 148 were fulfilled by the end of 1993 -- an accuracy rate of nearly 94 percent," according to Mark Riebling's history of the FBI and CIA titled Wedge.
Uh-huh, funny that.
Anyone over a certain age whining about life in the good ol' USA during the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s & mocked our western cuture? Those individuals could always take a trip to Germany. Preferably visit West Berlin where from any number of observation platforms view the "Worker's Paradise" with their very own eyes.
Communist sympathizers within the American or English media, academia (brainstems of every stripe), and/or Democrats wouldn't have dared try *selling* the communist nightmare as long as people could see, & speak of what they'd seen.
Never.
If such a depressing sight as communist life didn't sober up one's POV, pronto, it sure the hell provided one hellova perspective to illustrate the stark difference between two ideologies well beyond what anyone could ever say to the contrary.
Of course the wall's long gone, observation decks too as well as the Soviet worker's paradise, all of 'em.
While we in the west?
We've never been happier, freer all-way-around & especially free from "communism", communistic laws, and communistic thugs.
There's simply nothing left to see.
Certainly nothing left that'd reinforce the value of our western life and/or freedom, except ourselves and y'know such things aren't taught youngsters anymore, eh? :o)
And the hardcore former communists of the old bloc nations? What became of the party faithful, at all levels in all those countries, anyway?
Why the poor losers either embraced *&* accepted capitalism, free markets (& all other things western), or, they just vanished into thin air.
What else could they do?
Where else could they possibly have went, following the collapse? ;^)
...right? {/sarc}