Did eastern Europe just exchange masters?

 NOW RULED FROM BRUSSELS RATHER THAN MOSCOW

STILL NO SELF DETERMINED FUTURE

The euphoria over the breakup and independence of the Warsaw Pact and the former Soviet Union seems to have been a failed experiment in self determination. While many expected an improvement in economic conditions and opportunity, after 30 years it is questionable improvement. Everyone agrees that the release from a communist authoritarian government based in Moscow was a very worthy goal, it seems they have mostly replaced one out of touch authoritarian master for another.

I have recently been viewing travel videos on U-Tube by several western and European Vloggers that show much of eastern europe has not improved the lot of most of its citizens. While some of the major cities may have seen some improvement, much of the rural communities are depopulated, with hundreds of deserted buildings both residential and commercial. Many of these smaller communities seem to be populated by a majority of elderly women on small fixed pensions. There is no industry to speak of, even much of the farming is laying idle. It seems when these counties joined the EU it led to a exodus of most of the young people to major cities of the EU and to the United States. It is sort of amazing to see miles and miles of open land and small cities with no commercial activity. In many, the majority of building are abandoned and or in poor condition. The roads and infrastructure in many of these areas is crumbling. 

The opportunity for these nations to take the opportunity to chart their own path for an independent future for their citizens seems to have been squandered in the hope of relying on Brussels to make decisions for them. Decisions based on ideology that has devastated the local economies by shutting down the fishing industries, garment industries and even much of the former power generation. The local industries that were the mainstay of these countries for generations disappeared quickly and there were no replacement opportunities. 

Sadly, the hope for the future is dismal unless young people and families can be encouraged to return to build these countries from the ground up. It could be done with strong private property rights and incentives for people to repopulate these devastated areas. It could still be a land of opportunity, but it will never happen with the decision making being made in Brussels. It would take decisions being made at the national and community level to make these areas interesting to the next generation.