Don't get me wrong. If all debt were paid, under the current system of banking, there would be no money at all. Banks charge interest on all of it. The classic case of usura. All of this is kept in operation by the FDIC, the Fed, and the auditors.
Government agencies play a big role.
When the state's power declines, it has a large budget deficit, but it can't collect taxes, it can't cut back on spending to try to enforce laws and property rights or to buy off opponents, and it can't borrow money at reasonable rates.