I remember watching a documentary on the old USSR and communism after the fall of the Berlin wall and the supposed economic enlightenment of the free market in Russia. They interviewed some of the old timers who'd lived most of their lives under communism. Whilst they were critical of some aspects of it, they said that everybody had a house, a job, a salary, and could afford their food, bills and heating. Nobody fell beneath the safety net, because the state controlled everything and made sure that everybody had a basic standard of living
They were bemoaning the economic situation in modern Russia, where like the west, a certain section of society has become very wealthy, whilst the poorest have become even poorer, which in Russia meant that old folk couldn't afford their rent and heating bills and many were struggling simply to afford food to put on the table.