Fear and coercion were explicit tools of the Nazi regime though.

Most who did the coercing were themselves afraid.

I suppose the distinction was that at some point, nearer the start of the chain there was a well organized minority that were the initiators, and they just so happened to have a real handle on how to push peoples buttons.

Goebbells is credited with being a master of propaganda. He put the fear of God into the silent majority and then whipped up their anger with lies about foreign policy and the Jews.

What was it someone once said about fox etc putting fear into the mind of the working white american and then subtly suggesting various scapegoats for him to keep him loyal in the name of the national interest?