The Evolution of Civilizations - An Introduction to Historical Analysis

In this perceptive look at the factors behind the rise and fall of

civilizations, Professor Quigley seeks to establish the analytical

tools necessary for understanding history. He examines the application

of scientific method to the social sciences, then establishes his

historical hypotheses. He poses a division of culture into six levels,

from the more abstract to the more concrete intellectual, religious,

social, political, economic, and military and he identifies seven

stages of historical change for all civilizations: mixture, gestation,

expansion, conflict, universal empire, decay, and invasion. Quigley

tests these hypotheses by a detailed analysis of five major civilizations:

the Mesopotamian, the Canaanite, the Minoan, the classical, and

the Western. 414 Pages.