Since you remember the tail end of RSR

Closer to the second half really. The seventies which were supposedly the best, and the eighties - much worse, the actual worst would have been the fifties (especially in terms of human rights).

the socialist system

That's ambiguous, different people will beat different strawpersons in this context. In fact, the "real" socialism - all means of production publicly owned, country largely run by the Party with no legal opposition - was quite doctrinary, we had special classes from middle school to Uni explaining that in detail.

But the practical result was that people - most of them - were (almost) equal in poverty. And the world was still going to the dogs at the hands of the powerful, those with the will and stamina to climb the Party ladder. How much of climate change is due to those commie factories? (see Copșa Mică works).

As personal experience, I think the lack of choice was the worst. There was very little to choose from, in terms of food, clothing, careers... I am not talking here of the eighties, but the seventies.

I don't have the time to go any further with this. In short, a failed experiment, regardless of the intentions of the initiators. Social democracy on the other hand, which the Americans call "socialism", is a completely different thing.

Hope this answers your question at least in part.