Answers need to go beyond simply describing the ways in which the bloc regimes coerced their populations to assess the degree to
which that control was necessary to maintain their legitimacy (in the eyes of their citizens). You may cover the whole of the Soviet bloc,
including the USSR, or merely two or three in-depth case studies, but your answer must directly compare and contrast your chosen
examples.
Likewise, you are encouraged to dip into the plentiful historiography around this subject. Your argument, of course, will need to be
supported with analysis and evidence.
