ABSTRACT
The conclusion reiterates the three main arguments from the introduction and expands on the contention that years of extreme, repressive communism could not break market forces nor the demand for luxury goods that provided no immediate benefit to traders. Emphasizing the risks that people were taking to obtain gold, jewelry, or clothing that could not be displayed, the conclusion argues that the years of intense ideological training and propaganda efforts did not diminish people’s desire for private property. Instead, Base people and cadres quietly accumulated valuables in preparation for the inevitable collapse of the regime that had failed to provide for its citizens.
