We actually didn't. There are occasional periods where technology or general progress outstrips the state's historical ability to monitor what is going on. Inte

We actually didn't. There are occasional periods where technology or general progress outstrips the state's historical ability to monitor what is going on. International communications were traditionally so small in number that it was pretty easy to monitor all of them. Going back far enough even internal travel was sufficiently rare that vague descriptions of people were enough to get them caught because strangers really did stand out. For example in Elizabethan England plenty of Catholic priests were caught because someone was supplying descriptions of them from Rome. Whether we need surveillance or not, and if we do to what extent is a valid discussion. Don't try and bring some sort of golden past into it, you'll only undermine your case.