Organizations that achieve political goals through intimidation usually rely on systematic fear-mongering to suppress dissent, consolidate power, or force the public to obey. The following are the typical operating methods and effects of such organizations： --- ### **1. The core mechanism of intimidation** The essence of intimidation is to force the target group to give up resistance or actively cooperate by creating a sense of insecurity. Its effectiveness stems from the instinctive compromise of human beings when their basic needs for survival and security are threatened. --- ### **2. Common methods of intimidation** ####**(1) Threats of violence and public suppression** -**Direct violence**: Assassinations, torture, or kidnappings against opponents, journalists, and activists, such as “disappearances” to create social panic. -**Symbolic violence**: Public execution or public punishment, transmitting a signal of "resistance is death", such as the spread of beheading videos by extremist organizations. -**Paramilitary forces**: Use unofficial armed groups (such as death squads) to commit violence to maintain “superficial legitimacy” of the government. #### **2. Information Manipulation and Psychological warfare** -**Propaganda machine**: By controlling the media to spread false information, rendering external threats or internal "traitors”, and shaping the image of the ”only savior". -**Rumors and stigmatization**: Spreading rumors aimed at specific groups (such as "spreading diseases” and "endangering national security”), inciting public hatred to divert contradictions. -**Review and monitoring**: Comprehensive monitoring of communications, a whistle-blowing system encourages mutual suspicion and destroys the foundation of social trust. #### **3. Institutional oppression** -**Legal weaponization**: The vague “National Security Law” and “Anti-terrorism Law” have been formulated to convict dissidents, and the judicial system has become a tool for suppression. -**Economic coercion**: Depriving dissidents of job opportunities, freezing assets, and forcing families to be punished jointly and severally, forming a ”chilling effect". -**Systematic marginalization**: The exclusion of specific groups through household registration, education, medical care and other systems creates structural fear. #### **4. Group psychological manipulation** - **Collective punishment**: Impose continuous punishment on a certain area or ethnic group to force self-censorship within the community (such as prohibiting asylum for dissidents). -**Create an existential crisis**: Manipulate the distribution of materials (such as food and medicine) so that people are forced to obey in order to survive. -**Ritualized obedience**: Compulsory participation in loyalty oaths, parades and gatherings, and consolidation of the culture of fear through public performances. --- ### **3. Short-term and long-term political influence** -**Short-term effects**: Quickly suppress dominant resistance and establish superficial stability; centralize power and remove checks and balances from decision-making. -**Long-term costs**: depletion of social creativity and economic recession; the growth of underground resistance organizations and the escalation of the cycle of violence; international isolation leads to sanctions. - **Typical case**: The Khmer Rouge consolidated its ideology through mass killings; Nazi Germany used the "Congress Arson Case" to frame the Communists and initiate a state of emergency to expand its power. --- ### **4. Why did the intimidation strategy finally fail? ** -**The threshold of fear rises**: Continuous high pressure causes people to become numb, and the deterrent effect decreases. -**Internal corruption**: The power group is infighting due to lack of supervision, consuming ruling resources. -**Technical countermeasures**: Technical means such as encrypted communications and exposure of international public opinion weaken the information blockade. --- ### Summary Such organizations rely on fear to maintain control, but their methods will gradually destroy social trust and economic foundations, and eventually cause systemic collapse. History shows that although the political model with intimidation as the core may work in the short term, it is difficult to avoid the fate of resistance or internal disintegration.