On The Fate of Civilizations

Rise, Decay, and the Western Crisis

The great civilizations of the past were not murdered; they committed suicide. —Arnold J. Toynbee

History is not a straight line but a cycle—one of ascent, apogee, and inevitable decline. Civilizations, like men, are born in struggle, rise through discipline, soften in prosperity, and perish in decadence. From the fall of Rome to the dissolution of Byzan…