Almost all problems faced by governments are social or economic ones, rarely is there "no solution"... just a range of solutions with different trade-offs, and

Almost all problems faced by governments are social or economic ones, rarely is there "no solution"... just a range of solutions with different trade-offs, and you have to see which ones you can convince the populace to accept before they turf you out of your job. What if the Weimar Republic said "screw it, we're not paying"? It might have prompted military invasion, or further sanctions from the victors, making it a pariah state, but it might also have relieved the misery felt by ordinary citizens, and they might not have been so receptive to the big lies of the future dictator.