I was born in the USSR and grew up through the restructuring following its fall. We weren't well off, and my whole family(including extended) basically lived in a 2br apartment. I don't remember feeling poor or anything, that was just the life we knew, and I don't really remember seeing people who were 'better off', but I wasn't looking for it at that age. I have recently started asking my mom about what she experienced during her work years, but that process is just starting for me.

Anywho, my reference to communism not taking off is mostly to the utopian idealogy, I understand many people live/d under communism, but it was really just socialism with some caveats.