but do the Conscripts have the will power
Exactly! Not just the conscripts doing the grunt work, but the engineers doing the technological development and Innovation and project management. Greed is a great motivator and the Communist system really mitigates that greed factor to achieving your Highest Potential. And I mean greed in the best possible way. Greed for Freedom. Greed for pursuit of Liberty, and personal gain and fulfillment. That’s what’s motivating engineers to do what they do for the most part.
Without that, you have lackluster Engineers that don’t dream and innovate except for a few that aren’t smart enough to realize they serve a political Tyrant. And those types that can’t figure that out aren’t your star players anyway.