its not necessarily fair to lay all of the issues with the ussr at the feet of its economic system. im not pro-socialist-state but the ussrs main problem was that it was an ideologically-driven single-power state with unchecked power. the wall existed for the same reason the secret police and kgb existed, because of the political scheming of the power structure. people werent trying to escape because they were desperate for light beer and blue jeans they were trying to escape because they were getting disappeared to siberia for thinking ill of glorious leader. post-ussr russia isnt much different.
United States