“those in power are disinclined to relinquish that power it would spark a civil war.”
And those subject thereto still find their lives comfortable enough to not spark that inferno & risk losing everything in the process of ejecting the former.
Aye — There is a lot of pressure to embrace normalcy, even when that presented as normal isn't.
Another few factors are the we don't want to start it
-factor, the I don't want to be painted as evil
-factor, and the you are powerless
-factor*.
* This is the true purpose of the public education system: to make the students learn that they are utterly subject to authority to implant the idea that to rebel against any claimed authority is useless rebellion. (Note that an authority can claim something entirely apart from where his true authority is: like a county Sheriff from TX trying to make an arrest [under that authority] in CA.)