Are We Seeing Communism in The Last of Us?
A look at government actions and failures in the HBO TV show
In HBO’s The Last of Us, the apocalypse may be caused by a fungal infection—but what’s equally chilling is the economic system that follows. As communities attempt to rebuild, we see more than just ruined cities and broken families. We witness forced labor assignments, show trials, public executions, rationing—and perhaps, a glimpse into life under communism.
In the video below we explore whether The Last of Us is showing us what life under communism might look like. The parallels to regimes like the Soviet Union, Maoist China, and communist Cuba are hard to ignore.
Economics in the Last of Us
The show offers a window into systems where:
Private property rights are weak: Land, housing, and tools are collectively owned or assigned.
Labor is centrally controlled: Citizens, at least in some areas, are given jobs only from the government.
Show trials and executions replace due process: Dissent is punished publicly to enforce compliance.
Government corruption thrives: Power breeds privilege, and officials abuse their status.
Rationing replaces market pricing: Scarcity is handled through queues and quotas, not supply and demand.
Economic inefficiency grows: Without incentives, innovation stalls and poverty becomes entrenched.