I'm not even sure that we, in our advanced state as a civilisation could plunge into "civil war" anyway..it would have to take some kind of external force to shoehorn it in, like a solar flare, or an attack on the power grid
I agree with you that a civil war could only happen with the help of an external force.
Here's a good quote from Gunther Anders (1956) about revolts (sorry if the translation is bad):
"To stop any revolt in advance, we should not do it violently. The methods of the kind Hitler are exceeded. Just create a collective conditioning so powerful that the very idea of revolt won't even come to the minds of men.
The ideal would be to format the individual from birth limiting their innate biological abilities.
We must use persuasion, not direct violence: They will massively broadcast via television entertainments always flattering emotional or instinctive. It will occupy the minds with what is frivolous and playful. It is good in a chatter and incessant music, to prevent the mind from thinking. We will put sexuality to the forefront of human interests. As social tranquilizer, there is no better.
In general, they will make sure to ban the seriousness of existence, to mock everything that has a high value, maintain a constant advocacy of lightness; so that the euphoria of advertising will become the standard of human happiness and model of freedom. Th econditionning will produce itself such integration, that the only fear that it will maintain, will be being excluded from a system and therefore being unable to access the necessary conditions for happiness.
The Mass Man, a product, must be treated as what it is: a calf. And it must be monitored as must a herd. All things that allows to lull his lucidity is socially good, and which threaten to awaken him must be ridiculed, suppressed, fought. Any doctrine challenging the system must first be designated as a terrorist and subversive, and those who support it will then be treated as such."
