It’s a presidential election year in the United States, and some of us are unhappy with our electoral choices. But things could be worse—much worse. Take the old Soviet Union, for example. Choices in this totalitarian state were extremely limited, to say the least. During elections, there was one name on the ballot, and the candidate received 99 percent of the vote. On the bright side, the comrades, at least the subversive ones, had bone records.
Civil rights, political rights, human rights, and property rights were severely curtailed. Association with unsanctioned churches, labor unions, or opposition political parties was not allowed. Secret police, state-controlled media, mass surveillance, civilian informants, propaganda, and suppression of criticism were all legitimate tools of the Communist Party. Activities deemed counter-revolutionary could be punished by death.…
