Memes

I am from Austria, "not everything was bad under hitler" was said a LOT by the older generations.

You say this like they were wrong, but from their perspective, they were right. Those people (having survived) were probably white facists who profited from forced labour of racialized groups or landlords/capitalists/petit burgoise who profited from the murder of union leaders and communists or they looted and occupied the homes of genocide victims. Either way, they were objectively better off for a while. Fascism is initially always a quick material improvement for the privileged and the oppressors until the contradictions mount and the death cult inevitably turns on them to eat the ones who helped to start it.

The difference is, that the Soviet Union lasted much longer and genuinely improved the quality of live of millions of people, even all over the world beyond it's borders. Not just temporarily bribe a few willing fascists enablers.

This graph means, if you don't work 70 hour weeks, thank the Soviet Union. The "communist threat" made employers afraid enough to grant concessions. It's all gradually being taken back since then.