When Did Communism Go Out Of Style?

          Communism changed from being an attractive political ideology after World War Two to being a political liability because it threatened the capitalist Western powers and they fought against it.  Throughout the post World War II era many under developed countries came to be governed by so-called Communist regimes.  At first, communism seemed like a decent idea to most because of the damage that World War II had done to so many under developed country's economies.  The thought of pooling all property and funds into the common good of the country seemed like a rebuilding tool that could get poorer countries back on their feet.  Then, it started to affect the capitalist Western powers.  Countries were dealt with harshly by Western powers because of the process of revolution. These countries were trying to establish independence from foreign control, so regardless of whether or not they were adopting "socialism," the Western powers would have fought against the action. Since countries were adopting "socialism" the capitalist Western powers felt threatened by them as a part of global Communist revolution. Capitalist leaders wanted to make sure that these countries would fail because, of course, the goal of Communists is to develop a system free from private ownership, which is definitely not in the best interests of people who are wealthy due to private ownership.  If you named yourself as socialist or communist, you were just begging to have the powerful capitalist Western powers plan on your demise.  The Cuban trade embargo is an example.