02/06/2016

ArnoldToynbee~AStudyofHistory

ArnoldToynbee
AStudyofHistory
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ArnoldToynbee
AStudyofHistory
ArnoldJosephToynbee(April14,1889October22,1975),Britishhistorianwhosetwelvevolume
analysisoftheriseandfallofcivilizations,AStudyofHistory,19341961,(alsoknownasHistory
oftheWorld)wasverypopularinitstime.
Toynbee,aprolificauthor,wasthenephewofagreateconomichistorian,ArnoldToynbee,with
whomheissometimesconfused.BorninLondon,ArnoldJwaseducatedatWinchesterCollegeand
BalliolCollege,Oxford.HeworkedfortheForeignOfficeduringbothWorldWarIandWorldWarII.
HewasDirectorofStudiesattheRoyalInstituteofInternationalAffairs(19251955)andResearch
ProfessorofInternationalHistoryattheUniversityofLondon.
Toynbeewasinterestedintheseemingrepetitionofpatternsinhistoryand,later,intheoriginsof
civilisation.ItwasinthiscontextthathereadSpengler'sDeclineoftheWestandalthoughthereis
somesuperficialsimilarity,bothmendescribetherise,floweringanddeclineofcivilisations,their
workmovedindifferentdirections.
ToynbeeagreedwithSpenglerthattherewerestrongparallelsbetweentheirsituationinEuropeand
theancientGrecoRomancivilization.Toynbeesawhisownviewsasbeingmorescientificand
empiricalthanSpengler's,hedescribedhimselfasa"metahistorian"whose"intelligiblefieldofstudy"
wascivilization.
InhisStudyofHistoryToynbeedescribestheriseanddeclineof23civilisations.Hisoverarching
analysiswastheplaceofmoralandreligiouschallenge,andresponsetosuchchallenge,asthereason
fortherobustnessordeclineofacivilisation.Hedescribedparallellifecyclesofgrowth,dissolution,
a"timeoftroubles,"auniversalstate,andafinalcollapseleadingtoanewgenesis.Althoughhe
foundtheuniformityofthepatterns,particularlyofdisintegration,sufficientlyregulartoreduceto
graphs,andeventhoughheformulateddefinitelawsofdevelopmentsuchas"challengeand
response,"Toynbeeinsistedthatthecyclicalpatterncould,andshould,bebroken.
Toynbee'sbooks,hugeinscale,achievedwideprominencebuthewasmoreadmiredbytheHistory
readingpublicthanbyfellowhistorians,whocriticisedhimforcontortinginformationtofithis
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allegedpatternsofhistory.
Theideashepromotedhadsomevogue(ToynbeeactuallyappearedontheCoverofTimemagazine
in1947).Theyhavenothoweverprovedtobeofdecisiveinfluenceonotherhistorians.Toynbee's
workwassubjecttoaneffectivecritiquebyPieterGeylandanarticlewrittenbyHughTrevorRoper,
"ArnoldToynbee'sMillenium"descibingToynbee'sworkasa"PhilosophyofMishMash"
dramaticallyunderminedToynbee'sreputation.

PopularEuropeanHistorypages
atAgeoftheSage
Thepreparationofthesepageswasinfluencedtosomedegreebyaparticular"PhilosophyofHistory"
assuggestedbythisquotefromthefamousEssay"History"byRalphWaldoEmerson:
Thereisonemindcommontoallindividualmen...
Oftheworksofthismindhistoryistherecord.Itsgeniusisillustratedbytheentireseriesofdays.
Manisexplicablebynothinglessthanallhishistory.Withouthurry,withoutrest,thehumanspirit
goesforthfromthebeginningtoembodyeveryfaculty,everythought,everyemotion,whichbelongs
toitinappropriateevents.Butthethoughtisalwayspriortothefactallthefactsofhistorypreexistin
themindaslaws.Eachlawinturnismadebycircumstancespredominant,andthelimitsofnature
givepowertobutoneatatime.Amanisthewholeencyclopaediaoffacts.Thecreationofathousand
forestsisinoneacorn,andEgypt,Greece,Rome,Gaul,Britain,America,liefoldedalreadyinthe
firstman.Epochafterepoch,camp,kingdom,empire,republic,democracy,aremerelytheapplication
ofhismanifoldspirittothemanifoldworld.
TheEuropeanRevolutionof1848begins
Abroadoutlineofthebackgroundtotheonsetoftheturmoilsandaconsiderationofsomeof
theearlyevents.
TheFrenchRevolutionof1848
AparticularfocusonFranceastheinfluentialAustrianministerPrinceMetternich,who
soughttoencouragethereestablishmentof"Order"inthewakeoftheFrenchRevolutionary
andNapoleonicturmoilsof17891815,said:"WhenFrancesneezesEuropecatchesacold".
TheRevolutionof1848intheGermanLandsandcentralEurope
"Germany"hadamovementforasingleparliamentin1848andmanycentralEuropeanwould
be"nations"attemptedtoassertadistinctexistenceseparatefromthedynasticsovereignties
theyhadbeenlivingunder.
The"Italian"Revolutionof1848
A"liberal"Papacyafter1846helpsallowtheembersofan"Italian"nationalaspirationto
rekindleacrosstheItalianPeninsula.
TheMonarchsrecoverpower18481849
Someinstancesofsocialandpoliticalextremismallowpreviouslyproreformconservative
elementstosupportthereturnoftraditionalauthority.LouisNapoleon,(wholaterbecamethe
EmperorNapoleonIII),attainstopowerinFranceofferingsocialstabilityathomebut
ultimatelyfollowspoliciesproductiveofdramaticchangeinthewiderEuropeanstructureof
statesandtheirsovereignty.

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AStudyofHistorypage

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