Which country? 89 makes me think not Russia.. Romania? It is worth pointing out your observation applies to lots of post-colonial societies, too. Socialism too

Which country? 89 makes me think not Russia.. Romania? It is worth pointing out your observation applies to lots of post-colonial societies, too. Socialism took Tanzania's literacy rate from about 10% at independence to 80%+ in a generation, and IIRC it also doubled its agricultural output in that time by organising farming along collective lines. Life expectancy rose substantially too, though I forget by how much. (So much for empires being about spreading civilization, eh?)