Why was life harsh for ordinary citizens in the Soviet Union and Eastern European nations in the 1950s

recovery and the cold war

Explanation: a war costs a lot of money and the Soviet Union under Stalin didnt want to invest that money into the people but instead put it in the military to rival the United States and Stalin thought the more the people suffered the more likely they are to turn to communism and as the Cold War raged on money still maily went to the military which then caused the Soviet Unions collapse