History is clear. The “warmth of collectivism,” as New York City Mayor Mamdani wants you to believe, doesn’t come from a healthy economy. Maybe from, burning books and buildings… but not from building a prosperous society.
Let’s compare two countries. Poland, rising out of collectivism, and Venezuela, forced into the delusion:
Twenty years ago, the economic prosperity of Poland and Venezuela were, all things being equal, identical. (Source: Our World Data)
Poland spent decades behind the Iron Curtain as a vassal state as part of what Reagan called the “Evil Empire”, the USSR. Venezuela did not, enjoying growth and economic freedom to become one of the wealthiest countries in South America.
However, Venezuela’s shift towards collectivism in the early 2000s led to a massive decline in the standard of living.
Meanwhile, once the people of Poland unshackled themselves from the collectivist delusion, it has become a thriving success story.
Since 2000, Poland’s GDP per capita has more than doubled after adjusting for inflation.
In 2025, Poland surpassed Switzerland on the global who’s who of thriving economies, joining the G20.
In the same time span, Venezuela’s GDP has declined by two-thirds.
~ Addison
P.S. Grey Swan Live! returns from its holiday hiatus this week. Our guest this week will be Matt Smith, publisher at Casey Research. Matt and co-author Doug Casey have just released a new book titled “The Preparation.”
Quick hit: Both Matt and Doug are raising cattle in Uruguay. The Preparation has some very strong opinions on the value of Western education and how to prepare the next generation to participate in a strong, thriving economy.
If you have requests for new guests you’d like to see join us for Grey Swan Live!, or have any questions for our guests, send them here.
