Force vs Feedback

Romania, 1966.

Ceausescu decided his country needed more people. He banned abortions for women under forty-five.

The birth rate doubled. Briefly.

Then the system fought back. Families found ways around the ban. Maternal mortality doubled. Unwanted newborns overwhelmed state orphanages.

Ceausescu doubled down. The system resisted harder.

In 1989, he was overthrown and executed.

The first law repealed: the abortion ban.

Same era. Same problem. Different country.

Hungary faced the same declining birth rate. Instead of forcing the outcome, they asked why families stayed small.

Their answer: cramped housing.

Their policy: reward larger families with more living space.

Partially successful. Housing wasn't the only factor. But they avoided every catastrophe Romania triggered.

Same goal. One used force. One used feedback.

One leader was executed.

Push harder, and the system pushes back harder.

The difference wasn't intelligence or resources. It was the question they started with. Romania asked "how do we force the outcome?" Hungary asked "why is the system producing this behavior?"

Before you force the outcome, study why the system is resisting.

Go deeper: The Shadow Strategy