Cycles of human societies. Modern times in the light of ...

1 Copyright by Yuri K. Shestopaloff, 2017 Written under the auspices of AKVY Press Cycles of human societies . Modern times in the light of Glubb's views. Why and how societies proceed through the same succession of transformation phases Yuri K. Shestopaloff This article originated due to an insightful essay by Glubb, ("The fate of empires and search for survival", William Blackwood & Sons Ltd, J. B. G. Ltd, 1976, 1977), which is freely available on the Internet. Glubb's observations are taken in a sequence presented in the essay, and then we explore how these considerations relate to our time , if any, as well as provide some observations and thoughts on our own.

2 We will start from the summary, which he placed at the end of his remarkable work, where Glubb briefly recaps the main features inherent to a life cycle of empires . Of the most interest to us are the signs of the Age of Decadence. The reason is that our goal is to find out, which of the cycle 's phases our time belongs to, and, since the Age of Decadence, how it was described by Glubb, shows the most similarity to our times , it makes sense to examine this phase in more detail. Glubb discovered a well conserved periodicity of phases, through which every empire goes until it is destroyed. He did not know the reasons underlying this (literally vital) for human societies phenomenon.

3 That was addressed by Alexander Kyriakos in his article "The next decadence and its causes", ("Очередной декаданс и его причины"), published in the Journal "Thoughts" ("Мысли", issue 85, ). A. Kyriakos uncovers the causes of such a definitive life cycle of empires and explains why they follow each other so persistently. The answer, in his opinion, which is supported by convincing proofs, are given by etiology. This scientific discipline studies the evolution of behavior of animals and humans in different habitats. One of the most known scientists in this area is Conrad Lorentz.

4 According to etiology, the behavior of living organisms is guided by instincts, which are the means animals react to different situations. Alexander Kyriakos presents the hierarchical list of 18 instincts, of which we list the first ten. 1. Procurement of energetic needs. 2. Fear and aggression, which can be exposed separately and together. 3. Sexual (reproduction). 4. Dominance - submission and hierarchy (related instincts). 5. Distinction between own people and foreigners. 6. Religious (understood as the need to explain unknown and uncertainty by interference of supernatural forces). 7. Territorial (protection of the habitat).

5 8. Individualism (when a person is safe). 9. Collectivism (when a person is in danger). 10. The instinct of acquisition. Once you memorize these instincts and, during the course of our presentation, become familiar with the phases of life cycle of empires , you will see how well these instincts explain the origin of phases and their transition, when satisfaction of one instinct triggers into action another instinct, then Copyright by Yuri K. Shestopaloff, 2017. Written under the auspices of AKVY Press 2another, and so forth. For instance, when some group of people is in danger, they tend to unite (instinct 9, collectivism).

6 When the danger is over, people tend to be less collectivistic. Indeed, many people can confirm that individualism (instinct 8) flourishes in safety. These instincts and their hierarchy explain why the empires ' phases are so immanent. The thing is that people react in the same way in similar situations. Such a uniform reaction of all people in the group accordingly triggers similar actions, which can result only in a certain outcome. This outcome, in turn, launches the next phase, to which people (even of different nationalities and in different countries) also react in the same way. And so on, until the cycle ends.

7 In his studies, Glubb used empires as the subject of analysis. He does not generalize his discoveries for the states in general, but makes the following note in this regard: "At any given time , however, there are also smaller states which are more or less self-contained. Do these live the same lives as the great nations, and pass through the same phases? In general, decadence is the outcome of too long a period of wealth and power. If the small country has not shared in the wealth and power, it will not share in the decadence." The last decades of Western societies , as well as historical examples, clearly showed that the cycle , inherent to empires , is also the propeller of life Cycles in smaller states.

8 A. Kyriakos expresses a similar thought in his work as follows: "Similar transition phases experience not only empires , but all societies , which were lucky enough to have a prolonged period of stable development (possibly, the same ten generations, or 250 years)". Indeed, if we take a look at the Modern world, it seems that the wealth, and, to a lesser extent, the power, are the causes of eventual decadence of states in general, and even smaller groups united on other grounds. So, here is the Glubb's summary. "Summary As numerous points of interest have arisen in the course of this essay, I close with a brief summary, to refresh the reader s mind.

9 (a) We do not learn from history because our studies are brief and prejudiced. (b) In a surprising manner, 250 years emerges as the average length of national greatness. (c) This average has not varied for 3,000 years. Does it represent ten generations? (d) The stages of the rise and fall of great nations seem to be: The Age of Pioneers (outburst) The Age of Conquests The Age of Commerce The Age of Affluence The Age of Intellect The Age of Decadence. (e) Decadence is marked by: Defensiveness Pessimism Materialism Frivolity An influx of foreigners Copyright by Yuri K. Shestopaloff, 2017. Written under the auspices of AKVY Press 3 The Welfare State A weakening of religion.

10 (f) Decadence is due to: Too long a period of wealth and power Selfishness Love of money The loss of a sense of duty. (g) The life histories of great states are amazingly similar, and are due to internal factors. (h) Their falls are diverse, because they are largely the result of external causes. (i) History should be taught as the history of the human race, though of course with emphasis on the history of the student s own country." Overall, for me, the Glubb's essay and the article by Alexander Kyriakos helped to form a broader and clearer view of the life cycle 's dynamics, inherent to human societies .