I imagine an analogy of summer camp as that is my only way to relate as I'm in a rich country. I'm going to go to a summer camp not of my choosing and participating in activities not of my choosing and being bunked with people not of my choosing for the rest of my vacations for life and then when i'm about 80 years old then claim there is negligible delta from not having to do that. That last bit, I can't imagine.
I can choose where to live, work, and spend my leisure time. Obviously, some of these opportunities are determined at a second order level by regulations, but this is much less direct and a significant delta compared to USSR.
It's funny to me that there is a widespread perception that in 2023 life has become more regulated in most developed economies. Most of what is now the "developed" world reached its height of regulation and government involvment in daily life in the middle of the 20th century. Deregulation and market solutions have largely been the direction of most advanced economies. Those, more aggressively in the U.S. but fairly consistent none the less.
The delta is very much _not_ negligible. Even people’s apartments were not in their property. No private business allowed, all production was government-managed. It is difficult to understand how USSR worked, unless you lived there.
Vast numbers of people in the West don't own their own home either. Not really the same as living in the old East since you can choose where you live here, within your budget, but I wanted to highlight that a lot of our freedom ends when the money does.
Who is telling you where to work? What profession you're in? Where you will eat lunch? Who you are allowed to associate with?
I order for it to be less confusing, perhaps the article could have said "government prescribed behavior in almost every aspect of life" and I claim the delta is not negligible.
Well, to be honest, people were allowed to pick a profession. And you had some wiggle room to pick your placement and change works later on.
And you were allowed to drink in your kitchen with whoever you want. Although if KGB noticed you were partying with known dissidents or on certain days (e.g. independence day of the republic that was then occupied by soviets)... you'd be, let's say, cancelled :) Or if you kids had poppy seeds in dental inspection that was accidentally held on christmas day...
