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Notes -
It wasn't literal stalinist reign of terror, and there's some argument to be made for "oppressive regimes fall apart when they become more permissive", but the way you phrased it is, uh, slightly rosy.
You'd absolutely get booted out of any prestigious position if you said anything commie-skeptical, which is what kept most people in check, but beyond that every Eastern Block country had it's Stasi equivalent that would surveil and imprison political opposition. You didn't even have to do much to cross them, I had a friend who's earliest childhood memory is the secret police bursting through the door to haul of her mother to prison for handing out pamphlets. You'd even see the odd political assasination happening well into the 80's.
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