The ideal police state treats law-abiding citizens very well (free schooling, education, social programs, etc.), and treats law-breaking citizens very poorly.

The ideal police state treats law-abiding citizens very well (free schooling, education, social programs, etc.), and treats law-breaking citizens very poorly. Cuba is an especially interesting case because it's a communist police state which is also a tourist destination for huge amounts of free, affluent Westerners every year. That means that they can't use any of the standard 'scare tactics' of a police state (assuming they would if they could), such as having soldiers policing the street constantly. I was also told by a guide that they don't allow imagery of the ruling leader (e.g. posters to say 'Hey, Fidel is so great!') because they don't want government to turn into hero worship. After a leader is dead, then their image can be used in 'publicity', but not before. So Cuba's a really interesting state.