The Berlin Wall came down merely 20 years ago. It seems that lives of those living behind the wall would have improved astronomically. However, while they report to be substantially happier, many have deep reservations about democracy and capitalism as reported by the Pew Research Center.

Less than one third of Ukrainians approve of the change to multiparty democracy. In Russia, reports show they still mourn the loss of the Soviet Union and more than 50 percent claim there should be a Russian empire. Since 1991, statistics support the notion that there are fewer people  now that support the shift to capitalism than there were in the past. Approximately 72 percent of Hungarians say their lives under the communists were better economically.

One reason for the lowered support is that the financial crisis hit some of these former soviet bloc countries especially hard. In the 1990s when they embraced capitalism everything was great stocks and money were flowing everywhere. But now that they have seen the downside of capitalism and the tough economic situation they aren't sure about whether democracy and capitalism is best for them.

No one likes the economic problems the world is facing but to say you'd rather have Communism is sure a big leap. These countries are still young when it comes to western ideals and systems. Like I said, they haven't really experienced or seen how the system works in good times and bad. They have just embraced the good things without wanting the bad things, which is surprising because the only good thing about communism is that there are never any homeless people because everyone is required to work.

Despite the lowering of approval for the change in political systems, the majority in every country but Ukraine approve of the shift to democracy. Majorities and pluralities in all countries but Hungary and Ukraine have welcomed capitalism and have seen declines in ethnic hostilities since communism ended.

It turns out that many of the countries that have seen lower satisfaction when it comes to democracy are those that are sitting at the bottom of the charts. Countries like Hungary, Ukraine, and Lithuania have not weathered the recession and financial problems quite as well as countries like the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland.

These three countries have handled the problems quite well and are the most welcoming of democracy. What it seems to boil down to is how well your country is doing financially determines how supportive citizens in a country are of democracy and capitalism.

There is a strong link between the idea of capitalism and government. This means that what people think of government is what they think of the system. For example, Hungarians believe that their government cannot handle the crisis. Because of the recession and how it has affected the general population there has been growing dissatisfaction with the government and support for capitalism is now 46% compared with 80% in 1991.

Since the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe countries have embraced democracy. However, countries like Ukraine and Hungary have been hit especially hard by the financial crisis and support for democracy and capitalism is quickly falling in those countries.

Unemployment has ravaged almost every part of the global workforce. Yet this economic slump has hurt young people the most. Individuals between the ages of 16 and 24 are having the hardest time finding jobs. Even though some dropped out of high school; many are college graduates and have even gone on to earn MBAs and law degrees.

In the U.S. the unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds is now more than 18 percent.  Last year it was 13 percent. This means that almost 20 percent of young adults don’t have a job. These figures don’t even count how many are underemployed. This shows that not only are American families struggling, but even teenagers can’t find jobs to help their families out.

There is also long-term damage that can be caused if young people are unable to start off their careers. These individuals may become a "lost generation." Several studies have shown that when youth can’t find jobs over an extended period of time it can lead to problems including significantly lower lifetime incomes. 

The reasoning behind this is that many people get stuck in the same old job, doing jobs that are beneath their skills and abilities. This in turn can lead employers to believe that they are incompetent or damaged goods. These circumstances will lead to dissatisfied employees even if they have an education because they aren’t meeting their potential. However, the U.S. is not alone in these problems. They are also affecting individuals from Britain to Japan.

Since many companies aren’t hiring new employees especially young workers they are missing from the workplace. As a result, businesses are missing out on new ideas and concepts that younger generations bring in to rejuvenate the company. America is not the only country that has faced this problem, Japan dealt with the same situation in the 1990s and even today.

The implications of this problem during the 1990s in Japan have shown long-term effects on the workplace. Japanese individuals that began their career during the 1990s are responsible for 6 in 10 cases of reported depression, stress, and work-related mental disabilities. Because of these circumstances and results, experts believe the same thing will happen to young workers here.

Not only is this problem affecting young workers that have already graduated or dropped out, but individuals in school are also getting worried about their ability to find a job. Professors are reporting that their students are anxious about the market.  This fear is affecting college students nationwide including top universities like Stanford.

There are lots of people out there seeking jobs. But it seems to make logical sense that companies would hire young workers because they’re cheap and get rid of the older expensive workers but companies are not taking risks.  They are not hiring or even accepting applications. Another problem is that many companies are looking for extensive experience which newcomers don’t have.

There are thousands of young people that are unable to find jobs in this economy. There are long term implications that can hurt this "lost generation." Recession graduates not only suffer from depression and anxiety but typically earn less over their working career.

Because of the thousands of job losses and a spike in early retirement claims due to laid off workers, social security has a long battle ahead. Not only is social security on the pathway to bankruptcy, but there are now more seniors seeking social security. Social Security currently and over the next two years will pay out more in benefits than it collects in payroll taxes.

Retirees contributed to the fund throughout their working lives and now it’s failing them. Between 2010 and 2011 estimates predict the deficits will reach $19 billion. These deficits won’t affect the payout that seniors are getting but they will add to the federal deficit.

Since the recession, Social Security officials have received 23 percent more applications for retirement benefits and 20 percent more for disability claims. Officials expected these claims to rise because of the growing numbers of baby boomers that are reaching retirement age.  Although with the economy the way it is, officials have seen thousands more applications than they expected.

These ever increasing numbers have an explanation behind them. Some of the first workers to lose their jobs were potential retirees. As a result they opted to retire, when they might otherwise have continued working.

However, the recession has forced many other potential retirees to keep working. Many saw their life savings disappear before their eyes and now they have to work and try to save up a nest egg again, with retirement age fast approaching.

Unfortunately, many seniors are facing the choice of whether to accept social security or not.  Some are trying to put it off as long as possible and find other jobs, because the longer they wait to take Social Security the higher their monthly check will be.

Even though many workers want to put off their Social Security benefits, they are struggling to find work. With limited jobs, and lots of workers available, many employers prefer hiring younger workers. So these baby boomers are not only facing young college graduates, but also young professionals that have families to support.

Most retirees are able to pay most of their bills, but it can be difficult if they have lots of prescriptions and no health insurance. Most seniors want to keep working so they have more money than just what they need in order to pay bills.

Over 2.2 million people applied for Social Security retirement benefits from October through July and at the same time the year before it was 1.8 million. This means early retirements are not only hurting the country in the short-run but also the long-run.

Social Security will have run out of funds by 2037, because of the way it is set up. Unless Congress acts: the program is going to fail. Over 43 million retirees and 9.5 million disabled Americans are dependent on Social Security. The system will not be able to support them and future retirees unless Congress takes action.