The document compares conditions in the USSR and US from 1945-1987. It notes that the USSR suffered greatly from WWII with over 8 million war deaths plus 40-90 million deaths from Stalin's purges. In contrast, the US only had around 425,000 war deaths and no major purges. After WWII, the USSR had a large army taking over Eastern Europe while the US army was going home, but the US had developed the atomic bomb. Infrastructure was crumbling in the USSR while manufacturing was strong in the US. By 1950, the USSR had a strong army but weak consumer economy and shortages, while the US had a housing and economic boom. Literacy was almost 100% in both countries by the late 1980s