The US simply had more free money to throw at whatever they wanted. > Germany recovered faster, Japan recovered faster and they've been hit very hard. USSR wor

The US simply had more free money to throw at whatever they wanted. > Germany recovered faster, Japan recovered faster and they've been hit very hard. USSR worked until a point after which it couldn't compete with a market economy. Ever heard of the Marshall plan that has aided the recovery of Western Europe? USSR did apply to participate in the US aid programme; however negotiations quickly fell apart after, due to vehement disagreements over the future of Germany. USSR has bailed shortly after (rightly or wrongly). > China realized it and allowed people to run businesses. You are not conflating post-WWII years with early 1990's, are you? They are somewhat 50 years apart from each other.