Each time the civilisation collapsed it's demise was brought by much stronger technological means. We might get to a point in time in which a a full restoration

Each time the civilisation collapsed it's demise was brought by much stronger technological means. We might get to a point in time in which a a full restoration is not possible. One of such outcomes is of course an atomic war, but I'm more concerned with the receurring "underdog revolts". Historically the elites are always getting more stagnant and the line between the capable and the mass is blurring. Most of the revolutions were started not by the workers, but by the "middle class". Basically at some point the "almost haves" convince themselves that they are more capable than the current structure and they pull the workers into the madness. Look at all the ancient military revolts, at countries that fell to fascism or communism. So far it always begun with losers taking up the tools of their masters. Things that they were not capable enough to create in the first place. The winners create the tools of their own destruction. Communists took over the "means of production", christianity the fruits of enlightment. At this point of time, if the mass surveilance system and the information brokers fall into the wrong hands it may be impossible to recover, even if there is no military conflict. One might argue that it already happened to large degree.