The basic issue of survivalism is this: preparing against a rapid, comprehensive, and unexpected collapse of the division of labor. There are very few examples of anything like this in modern times, other than war and revolution.

If there were a major crisis in the banking system in which central banks could not create digital money fast enough to save the largest banks from collapse, there could be this sort of contraction. But even in the Great Depression, it took three years to get from 1930 to 1933, which was the trough of the depression. There was time to react.

There is always the possibility of nuclear war. We came perilously close to this in 1983, and close calls probably happened on more than one occasion. But it did not happen.