Don't forget my theory:
A government either
exploits a disaster, or
creates a disaster, all to create a reaction. The reaction is then exploited, to prime the people for change -- in fact having them begging for it, at which time a "solution" is offered -- the solution the government wants.
In some cases the "solution" is actually not a solution... it appears to be one but actually it will become a problem, which will boil over into a crisis, which then gets a reaction, and then another solution. Which can repeat over and over.
All of this usually escapes detection, because quite simply it can easily be mistaken for an unexpected tragedy, and in the event that a "solution" turns into a problem it's hard to prove as deliberate and can simply be written off as incompetence.