My wife's family all live in Czechia, most of them (including my wife) born and raised behind the iron curtain.

People were definitely unhappy about travel restrictions under Soviet rule. My wife's parents had a real scare being out of the country during the uprising in 1968 and wondering if they could get back to their children (my wife not yet born).

Day to day life in Czechoslovakia (I also have friends in/from Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania) was different than mine in the US back in the day, but not that much different.

Czechia AFTER the fall of the USSR has been a nearly non-stop looting of the country by western backed oligarchs, and the Czechs who learned their tricks and did the same.

There is NO consensus that CZ is better after being "liberated" from the "Russian boot." There is just a different boot now.

Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.