"The biggest setbacks occurred in East Germany in the aftermath of the German reunification. Here the socioeconomic composition of the population in retirement changed dramatically. The share of men falling into the lowest status group almost doubled from 2005 to 2016." Well, well, capitalism does kill. Poverty does have a negative influence on health and under Communism the socialist state did not allow its population to fall into such low standards that their health and well being degenerated resulting in early death as there was no such thing as mass unemployment and poorly paid jobs (pay in capitalist and socialist countries can't be directly measured as in socialist countries the state covers health care, determines working conditions, subsidizes housing costs and the cost of food, provides free education for all, etc.). Unfortunately, the communist officialdom was too tight-assed as regards freedom of expression and participatory democracy (top-down control, elections by slates, etc., a common failure left over from Stalinism) and this alienated the working class and left it vulnerable to capitalist propaganda. Many workers in the former socialist countries are now suffering buyers remorse and former tight-assed parties will need to repackage their product to defeat the ultra-right and fascist movements spawned by the re-emergence of capitalism.
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