11. Fear‑Sympathy, Implicit and Explicit Persuasion United at the Service of Communism

While fear and sympathy seem incompatible, they are not so in the present psychological situation of the West. In a word, communism does not need to stop intimidating in order to attract sympathies or vice‑versa. It is in its interest to maintain all its reputation as a destructive power.

This reputation helps communism to soften the resistance of many adversaries, making them inclined to accommodate. The accomplishment of this psychological goal accentuates in these adversaries a certain sympathy for some aspects of Marxism, preparing them to accept this or that capitulation as a lesser evil, or a tolerable one.

It does not follow that communist parties around the world will gradually give up their explicit proselytism. Organized and dynamic parties serve communism as precious factors of intimidation and schools of formation for the leaders of future Marxist regimes.

Put simply, communism no longer expects to conquer world public opinion through its parties in the Free World, but rather through the technique of implicit persuasion.