From AlphaHistory:
“The first years of the Weimar Republic were unsettled and tumultuous, marked by international isolation and economic suffering. In the mid-1920s, Germany moved into a more prosperous period dubbed the ‘Golden Age of Weimar’, a time of economic recovery, social renewal and cultural innovation. Much of this prosperity, however, was propped up by foreign loans, while the Weimar state remained weak and unstable. The Great Depression of the early 1930s brought the Weimar dream crashing to earth. By late 1933 Weimar democracy had given way to Nazi totalitarianism.”
Enter the Reischmark. A controlled currency, enforced by the barrel of a gun. Not exactly a sterling example of “a complete loss of trust in any existent system.”
Venezuela will recover as soon as the government is swapped out for whoever is more amenable to bowing and scraping to the bankers and oil companies.
My point is there is a larger economy, or set of economies available to provide alternatives to the current system. Greece, Italy and the EU serve as recent examples where political “solutions” have prevailed — so far — as opposed to military solutions.
Economic collapse in the US? Totally different animal. We go down, everyone else goes down because we’re everyone’s customer. So no bigger fish to take us over. Instead: worldwide chaos.
Still, it’s a better alternative than Peak Oil or Climate Change, and might even mitigate both somewhat.