[idlewords]

You have to remember that there was an internal narrative to communism. These people didn't sit on their chairs stroking white cats, thinking about how evil they were being. Many of them were opportunists, but there were also true believers. And everyone used the language of true believers to justify why things were the way they were.

The idea was that most people in capitalist countries were oppressed by the economic system, and that in the people's democracies they finally had a chance to have a say in how the country was governed, through workers' councils, a Party that represented them, and various forms of collective rule.

The difference was that one is real democracy, and the other a sham. But notice how even the most authoritarian states go to great lengths to pretend they have broad social support. Everyone loves democracy!