Sir Orifice, your point is most valid, however I feel your example fails to take the effect of background and society into account the issues. Given that both Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany both instituted similar, Draconian measures for crimes, then why do we find such a wild divergeance between the two?
Simple, really:
Hitler reduced poverty, disease, and squalor. Stalin did not. Given that the following are clear causes of criminality, especially crimes against property and the person, we must conclude that the solution lies not with the Draconian measures themselves, but rather with economic stimulus and social reform.
Aside from this, the two regimes are remarkably common. Both in essence rode other people's systems to power, both were intolerant and randomly violent, both were governed by a command economy (less so in Nazi Germany's case, though it was the command element that helped Hitler restore Germany), both nations lost the First World war and were subject to severe economci sanctions....the list goes on.
