The early-mid 1980s was a tough time, but it is remarkable how rationing had been overcome by the late 1980s. Near the end of the decade, a Polish–Russian relat

The early-mid 1980s was a tough time, but it is remarkable how rationing had been overcome by the late 1980s. Near the end of the decade, a Polish–Russian relative of mine was delivering food to friends and family in Russia, because some products were now relatively abundant in Poland while Russia dealt with shortages. My own, purely anecdotal impression from looking at the background of photos and video recordings from Poland circa 1988–1989 is that that country (or at least a few parts of it) was already better off than other Warsaw Pact countries.