The Decline of the West, Volume II: Perspectives of World-History - Softcover

Spengler, Oswald

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9781646791590: The Decline of the West, Volume II: Perspectives of World-History
Softcover
ISBN 10: 1646791592 ISBN 13: 9781646791590
Publisher: Cosimo Classics, 2020

Synopsis

" ...the World-War was no longer a momentary constellation of casual facts due to national sentiments, personal influences, or economic tendencies, ...but the type of a historical change of phase occurring within a great historical organism of definable compass at the point preordained for it hundreds of years ago." -Oswald Spengler, Decline of the West Vol. I, 1914

The Decline of the West, Volume II: Perspectives of World-History by German historian Oswald Spengler, originally published in German as Der Untergang des Abendlandes (Vol. II in 1922), became an instant success in Germany after its defeat in World War I. Spengler's description of the end of the Western world and the implication that Germany was part of this larger historical process resonated with the German readers. He described great cultures following a cycle from inception to expansion followed by death. By understanding this cycle, one could reconstruct the past and predict the future. He specifically predicted that in the final stage of Western civilization, in the 20th century, Caesarism, a new and overpowering leadership would arise, replacing individualism, liberalism and democracy.

Even though this book was criticized by scholars, it became a bestseller in the 1920s and laid the foundation for the social cycle theory, which states that stages of history generally repeat themselves in cycles.

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About the Author

OSWALD SPENGLER (1880-1936) was a German historian and philosopher of history, whose book The Decline of the West became a major contribution to social theory. Spengler strongly influenced other modern thinkers, such as Arnold J. Toynbee, Samuel Huntington, Joseph Campbell, Camille Paglia and Henry Kissinger.

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Publisher
Cosimo Classics
Publication date
2020
Language
English
ISBN 10 
1646791592
ISBN 13 
9781646791590
Binding
Paperback
Number of pages
562
Rating
  • 4.32 out of 5 stars
    401 ratings by Goodreads

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9781646797578: The Decline of the West, Volume II: Perspectives of World-History

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  1646797574 ISBN 13:  9781646797578
Publisher: Cosimo Classics, 2020
Hardcover