If there are some political parties in a country, the nation can take out their frustration at their government by changing the political party at the polls.
However it can't do it in a one-party dictatorship. How do the people in a one-party dictatorship take out their frustration at their government?
The theory goes that people turn their attention to other things. Entertainment, Patriotism, Family Life, Ambition through Approved Channels. Basically the same habits the West had prior to the 19th century.
We have to remember that until recently1, human civilization made its way without direct representation of the majority of its population. Democracy has a wide range of advantages but these aren't necessarily intuitive to people who've never had it and are preoccupied with day-to-day concerns2.
The minority that couldn't ignore the system (and had a choice in the matter) could either choose to emigrate or to join the ruling party. The second option isn't as unusual as it may seem. After all, that's where the moderates in an oligarchy come from.
It's when the second or third generation of otherwise acclimatised middle-class bureaucrats flee the country that you know it's on the way out.
1. Or not at all, depending on your cynicism.
2. Same reason why bipartisan corrosion of democracy is ignored here.
This answer is about methods of taking out your frustration, as opposed to merely dealing with it or avoiding it.
Secret societies were invented for that exact purpose: You get together, anonymously, perhaps you even put on masks, and then you start bitching. Occasionally, action originates. This is how Freemasonry got its traction in the 19th century.
Another option was covert ridicule: Here is a lyric from a medieval German folk song:
Oh hang high
the loral wreath
him our prince
we shall revere
If you skip every second line the lyrics read
Oh hang high
him our prince
This couldn't have fooled anybody for long, but censors would most likely be overworked and understaffed and focused making examples of the most overt ridicule.
In a similar vein, a 19th century Prussian newspaper wrote a story about a shopkeeper who so revered Bismarck he printed his quotes on his toilet paper.
Apparently metaphor was not illegal.
There was, of course, also the tried and tested method of verbally or physically abusing your wife, dog, children and possibly subordinates; if these were not available, chopping wood has likewise stood the test of time.
Similarly, institutionalized animal cruelty was also considered quite liberating to oppressed people; the public spectacle of cat burning or blood sports like cock fighting seem to regularly disappear along with systematic human cruelty.
Black magic and other types of private symbolic malevolence also appear to enjoy more popularity in repressive settings.
Covert sabotage and willful ineffectiveness are among the safest routes to derive satisfaction by actually getting some form of revenge.
When oppression is based on moral grounds, secretly gathering in large groups and deliberately doing lots of forbidden acts in a short amount of time can release considerable pressure. Iranian dance parties come to mind, where kids gather in cellars, do ecstasy, listen to techno music with orgastic scream samples, knock back poorly mixed but graciously available gin and tonics, and perhaps shed the head cloth and other involuntary textiles.
The most rare, extreme and unpredictable possibility was, of course, to found or join an insurgency.
Looking at Saudi-Arabia it looks like formulating your political views in a religious language is a popular choice in that part of the world.
When people's desires are thwarted, their oppressed energy will find outlets in twisted forms, such as feverish pursuits of American dollar which is fiat with no intrinsic value. Democracy has intrinsic values because participation itself is a great source of happiness.
On the other hand, democracy is both an idea and a habit. We can no more expect a country to be democratic overnight than we can a people to be fluent in a foreign language in a matter of weeks. We need to create more Hong Kongs, more Taiwans and more South Koreas as forward operation bases of civilization, to spread modern ideas and to cultivate good habits.
