The powerful don't need to convince. They simply command. They get used to it in their personal surroundings and then they expect it to work everywhere.
If by command you mean by using coercion or compulsion. Then history has told multiple stories that show to sustain power you need more than just to command. Whether it be centuries ago like in the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, the Russian Revolution of 1917, or the more recent complex stories of power like Euromaiden in 2013.
In my opinion history and modern time supports the theory of hegemony very well.
Ironically one the top modern examples of the powerful understanding the need to convince and executing on those goals is the global dominance of Silicon Valley tech platforms and the billionaires that lead them.
They shape what is "common sense," and political discourse worldwide without direct command.
