• FishFace@piefed.social
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    12 days ago

    It depends entirely on how long people are willing to lend to the Russian government. People will continue to lend as long as they think there is a reasonable chance of making a return. Also “lending” can in some sense mean “working for free”.

    A government doesn’t need money; it only needs to remain the government. To do that, it needs to prevent an uprising that overthrows it. To do that, it needs the people to be happy and/or fearful enough to not rise up. Happiness requires adequate supply of the essentials of life. Fear requires a force of loyalists equipped to suppress the rest of the population, which requires those loyalists to be adequately supplied.

    Supplies require people working to produce those supplies - be it farmers harvesting food, actors making TV programs, or people operating machinery to refine oil.

    • MinnesotaGoddam@lemmy.world
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      11 days ago

      Also “lending” can in some sense mean “working for free”.

      I don’t think it’s an expectation of future return that has them doing that, rather an expectation that doing so well lead to intangible yet real protection.