you can't believe all the Communists quit being Marxists when the Wall fell. They quickly affilliated w/ a left leaning party and laid low until now. They'll be back w/ Putin leading them.
Same thing in the US. The end of the Cold War might have not been as great for the US as originally thought. All the socialists & communists couldn't maintain a foothold in their party over here, so most of them just joined the Democratic Party.
That's one theory as to why politics has been so hateful & devisive since the early 90s. Especially whey you consider that only about half of American Democrats who vote consider themselves "Liberal" whereas most of the Republican voters consider themselves "Conservative". Granted that's a broad brush to paint with b/c in both instances it depends on what the definitiion of "Liberal" & "Conservative" is.