You missed the point

It is not 往死里整 or 妥协. It is whether rules/laws are followed. For 独裁, everything is undeterministic. The king can award you one day and kill you later. He can forgive you for a big crime and jail you for nothing. So there is no predictability. Everyone is not safe and therefore cannot focus on creating enjoyable lives. 

In a democratic society, everyone is bounded by the law. The president cannot force any citizen to sing "red songs". So common people feel safe.