Denial of freedom of thought in communist systems

Communist regimes do not permit ideological or political dissent. The present practice of openness, or 'glasnost', underlines the dependence of the citizenry on governmental permission to voice their opinions. All 'deviant' themes are censored and their authors may be arrested, tortured, imprisoned or executed. To maintain conformity to party propaganda and indoctrination, a domestic espionage system is needed, and contact with non-communist countries cut off or reduced to a minimum. The right to choose is denied, all planning being made by the political elite. This causes widespread conformity, apathy and ignorance of alternatives to the imposed system. It encourages foreign pressure to reform and foreign support for dissidents, which may cause international conflict. Internally, it creates an inflexibility in the system which is anti-innovative and tends towards stagnation.