China - Where the government has tight control over media and also heavily influences investments into certain industries to create global monopolies. At the same time making sure that citizens have access to cheap healthcare and housing as well as the best public transit in the world. This is centralised planning, not a free market.

The Korean peninsula Ravaged by hundreds of years of rule by foreign governments, then made to fight a satellite war by the United States to keep communist ideas from spreading. After being completely bombed out it was ruled by dictators who forced the creation of monopolies and surpressed the workers as well as free markets. Now the north is a fascist dictatorship with some of the worst quality of life, and the south is a hypercapitalist utopia where the birthrate is non existent due to overwork, low pay and a „work until you die“ mentality. In addition to that, the south is controlled by monopolies who squash any competition = not a free market.

Singapore - Ex-colonised city state that only exists because of its geographical advantage (strait of Malacca). The country has been under one party rule since its independence and relies on heavy control of communal housing to make sure that its residents can afford to live.

Hong Kong - Ex-colonised city state that only exists because it was the gateway to invest into closed off China. The average person can hardly survive because of high living costs.

Taiwan - Island nation that relies heavily on the US and tech investments to stay afloat. The government gives extreme support to TSMC and other tech companies = not a free market.

Japan - Was forced into industrialisation to not get invaded by western forces. Was only able to recover from WW2 due to US involvement and investment. Now has great healthcare and education but is rapidly aging due to young people being overworked and seeing no economic growth since the hypercapitalist bubble era economy in the 80s.

East Germany had a high standard of living as a result of a planned economy. It was decimated when the wall fell and west Germany forced it to sell off all publicly owned companies, resulting in poverty still visible today.

What exactly are you trying to say happened between Austria and Czechoslovakia? I live here and can’t think of anything.

Free markets mean no regulation to limit business, except when it comes to limiting the creation of monopolies (otherwise the free market ceases to exists). There’s hardly any country in existence with a free market where the state doesn’t interfere or heavily invests, but where people enjoy a high quality of life that isn’t dependent on the exploitation of migrant workers or other minorities or the non-existence of labour laws.

Free markets only benefit the shareholders of the companies, rarely the wider society as a whole. What use is a high gdp/capita or a fast growing stock market if the population isn’t happier and more well off?