There is no evidence that such blanket surveillance has prevented terrorist attacks or any of the other things that governments claim. Its goal is population control, not crime prevention. It is never justified and it should be resisted.
And history shows that the mere existence of a mass surveillance apparatus, regardless of how it is used, is in itself sufficient to stifle dissent. A citizenry that is aware of always being watched quickly becomes a compliant and fearful one.
I'd agree that resistance is the only solution. We're always looking for technical solutions, but honestly, it's a political / social problem and it requires a political / social solution.
If anyone defines untraceable cryptocurrencies as illegal, it doesn't matter if you added the untraceability through a mixer ('high level') or protocol level like Monero. They'll treat them equally.
If we want to solve these issues, we need education and conviction of millions of people who don't want mass surveillance and cause pressure on politics. If everyone just complies, authorities will keep doing their thing.