It's about averages. For certain groups of people, for certain amounts of time, people are willing to starve / freeze / have poorer conditions voluntarily. Under the threat of a gun they can accept it for much longer periods.

But on average, people want to live in comfort and have their needs met. It's even worse because leaders very rarely struggle under the same hardships, and when they do it's a PR stunt.

It's like Brexit - people voted for it (just barely) but now are hating the consequences. The only option is increased trade and commerce, the UK government simply can't socialism / money print their way out of the mess. Only productive enterprise will save them, meaning a freer market, freer trade, lower taxes, etc. but this will take a decade:

- Conservative government falls

- Leftists take over

- Leftists destroy everything and make stuff worse for a few years

- People give up hope

- Thatcher-like figure emerges, cuts taxes, promotes business, free trade

- People get comfortable and start thinking socialism can work again

- Go back to the beginning