Thanks for the considered response. I guess it was a provocative question. Regarding this: "the best we can do is to have a look at the countries that adopted

Thanks for the considered response. I guess it was a provocative question. Regarding this: "the best we can do is to have a look at the countries that adopted Communism (the Eastern bloc) and compare them with their neighbors that didn't (have to)" This does feel like an informative perspective. I suppose it assumes that Eastern bloc countries would be left to their own devices in the absence of the Lenin/Stalin USSR, which may be fairly safe to assume.