the modern fiat system really only started with the establishment of the prussian state https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussia#/media/File:Kingdom_of_Prussia_1870.svg predecessor to east germany, poland, latvia, lithuania, estonia... prior to this there was no concept of a secular government per se, and outside of the big cities nobody listened to the government people unless they were forced to, which was expensive and unpopular

the prussians invented the modern education system which was used to industrial scale indoctrinate people into state worship

prior to that, they really couldn't tax people very hard or they'd get super pissed... yes, the governments before this were basically like mafias

this arc of history represents the formation process of a global tyrannical ruling class consolidating power and attempting to create a one world government with universal enslavement

that's not going to end well for them in the end, not the least of which being the economic failure it will cause, but the pushback will be intense once enough people snap out of it and start an effective countermeasure

like bitcoin, for example