Regarding Soviet prowess, I always considered the fact that going to higher education considerably shortened and made easier your military draft term to be a main factor.
Everyone who could went to university, because why wouldn't you? This incentive pressure and selection bias we're probably insane.
That and even better: it opened the doors towards a lot of the better jobs, both in terms of working conditions and offering some amount of breathing room.
Education was a more significant social elevator in the East than in the West, first and foremost because the ground level was much lower.
Everyone who could went to university, because why wouldn't you? This incentive pressure and selection bias we're probably insane.