I understand the stock markets have taken their worst hit since 1987, with only a few times that bad before this. We were way overdue for what they like to call a "correction", so maybe this is just the trigger for something that was going to happen anyway, as you say. However, some leaders in the Democratic party over here have been caught saying they hope there'll be an economic downtown, so it will harm Donald Trump's Presidency--if anyone puts that together, it could cause a severe backlash against those people, including the Speaker of the House. I can't imagine them trying to make it happen on purpose, but you never know.
RE: book review: The World War 1 Triva Book, by Bill O'Neill