Americans are facing a choice about the future of our country — and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Families are struggling with the cost of living. Housing is increasingly out of reach. Too many Americans feel like they’re working harder but falling further behind.
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is offering more government ownership, more regulation, and more centralized control over the economy as solutions.
Americans for Prosperity has a different vision — one built on economic freedom, competition, and opportunity.
History offers a useful perspective on this debate.
Poland and Estonia both spent decades under communist economic systems before embracing market-oriented reforms.
Their experiences offer important lessons about economic freedom, prosperity, and the choices America faces today.
Poland unleashed: what happened after government loosened its grip
For decades after World War II, the Polish government controlled much of the economy, deciding what businesses could produce, how resources were distributed, and what goods would cost.
The results were familiar across Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe: shortages, economic inefficiency, and limited opportunities for ordinary people.
But in 1989, Poland began a dramatic transformation.
As communist rule came to an end, Polish leaders introduced sweeping economic reforms. Among them:
- Opening markets to competition
- Allowing prices to respond to supply and demand
- Encouraging private enterprise
- Reducing government control over businesses
After a difficult initial transition, Poland’s economy began growing again in 1992. By 1999, Poland’s economy was approximately 20% larger than it had been in 1989.
And that growth continued.
Poland’s transformation didn’t stop with economic growth. Market-oriented reforms helped attract foreign investment, strengthen institutions that protected private enterprise, and eventually qualify the country for European Union membership in 2004.
These developments weren’t simply coincidences. They were closely connected to Poland’s decision to move away from communist central planning and build a market economy.
Poland’s experience offers an important lesson: Economic freedom can do more than encourage growth. By creating room for private enterprise, competition, and investment, market reforms can help lay the foundation for lasting prosperity.
Estonia – How economic freedom helped transform a nation
When Estonia regained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, it inherited an inefficient, centrally-planned economy:
- Businesses operated under government control.
- Competition was limited.
- Private enterprise had little room to grow.
Rather than preserve that system, Estonia embraced sweeping free-market reforms.
Its leaders privatized government-owned businesses, opened the economy to international trade and investment, reduced barriers to entrepreneurship, established a simpler tax system, and strengthened legal protections for private enterprise.
The results were remarkable.
In 1991, Estonia had an estimated 10,000 private businesses. By 1996, that number had grown to more than 61,000. Private enterprise went from accounting for a small fraction of the economy to approximately 75% of economic output.
As businesses grew and international investment increased, Estonia developed into a digitally advanced economy known for entrepreneurship and innovation.
Like Poland, Estonia joined the European Union in 2004. And like Poland, its market-oriented reforms helped establish the conditions for investment, stronger economic institutions, and deeper integration with Europe.
Estonia’s transformation demonstrates how opening an economy to private enterprise and competition can help create opportunities that centralized planning had restricted.
What these lessons mean for America’s future
Poland and Estonia are two different countries with a similar story. Both moved away from government-controlled economies and embraced reforms that expanded economic freedom, encouraged entrepreneurship, and opened the door to greater prosperity.
Their experiences offer lessons worth considering as Americans debate our own economic future.
Proposals for greater government ownership and control raise important questions about competition, investment, and who gets to make economic decisions.
The question for America is how to create more opportunity, make everyday life more affordable, and give people greater control over their futures.
That’s a debate worth having — one in which every American deserves a voice.
Learn more about AFP’s perspective on economic freedom and the choices ahead at FightSocialism.com.