Hi,

for some reason I don't get what this sentence means :

Individuals had no rights that the government was bound to respect.

Does this mean that the people did not have any rights or ... (also this is for communism in Russia: Societ Union in the 1920's)

Yes, basically that's correct! Not what we consider human rights or civil rights. Be sure to read Animal Farm if you haven't already done so. Many things are made clear in this book!

And this may help:
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/animalfarm/