I'm not a historian, though I am aware that post-apocalyptic themes have been popular for more time than I have been alive. I've always been inspired by the capacity of most humans to survive the worst that life can throw at us. Even when we are responsible for the source of own undoing, we somehow manage to muddle through. Call it guts, bravery, courage, or just the willpower to live one more day, I can't stop thinking about that amazing capability.
I can't give you any sources but I do remember reading somewhere during the 1990's that all of the "good" post-apocalyptic themes had already been written about and beaten to death. I didn't believe that then and I don't believe it now. As technology changes, we will always be presented with new ways to bring about our own end. Civilization can fall apart for many different reasons in many different ways. Curruption is timeless, we can always rot from within and fall apart that way.
Having said all that, I want to come back around to my favorite point. As a storyteller, I will never run out of plots and twists to describe how our future could end. The real challenge for me is to see how men, women, and children could overcome such lurid horrors to somehow create a better future. Life in general has taught me that there is always some lesson to be learned from everything we do, even if that lesson comes at the expense of civilization.