Oswald Spengler's civilization model appears as three tables, each in a three-page-long folded sheet, inserted between pages 68 and 69 of the first volume of his Der Untergang des Abendlandes, in the definitive edition published under the author's care by C. H. Beck in Munich, in 1931. Page numbers slightly changed from the previous German editions, yet were always placed immediately after the end of the Introduction. The English translation, published by Alfred A. Knopf in New York in 1936 as The Decline of the West, vol. 1, carries these tables at the end of the volume (after page 444). For their meaning and significance, see the main article.
Contents |
| Phase | Indian from 1500 BC |
Classical from 1100 BC |
Arabian from 0 |
Western from 900 |
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| Spring Rural-intuitive. Great creations of the newly-awakened dream-heavy soul. Super-personal unity and fulness |
Birth of a myth of the grand style expressing a new God-feeling. World-fear and world-longing | |||
1500–1200 BC
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1100–800 BC
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1–300
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900–1200
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| Earliest mystical-metaphysical shaping of the new world-outlook. Zenith of Scholasticism | ||||
| Preserved in the oldest parts of the Vedas |
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| Summer Ripening consciousness. Earliest urban and critical stirrings |
Reformation: internal popular opposition to the great springtime forms | |||
| 10–9th century BC | 7th century BC
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| Beginning of a purely philosophical form of the world-feeling. Opposition of idealistic and realistic systems | ||||
| Preserved in the Upanishads | 6–5th century BC
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6–7th century
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16–17th century | |
| Formation of a new mathematic conception of number as copy and content of world-form | ||||
| Missing |
Number as magnitude (measure)
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The indefinite number (algebra)
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| Puritanism. Rationalistic-mystic impoverishment of religion | ||||
| Traces in the Upanishads |
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| Autumn Intelligence of the City. Zenith of strict intellectual creativeness |
"Enlightenment". Belief in the almightiness of reason. Cult of "Nature". "Rational" religion | |||
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| Zenith of mathematical thought. Elucidation of the form-world of numbers | ||||
| Zero as a number |
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| The great conclusive systems | ||||
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Idealism: Yoga, Vedanta Epistemology: Vaisheshika Logic: Nyaya |
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| Winter Dawn of Megalopolitan Civilization. Extinction of spiritual creative force. Life itself becomes problematical. Ethical-practical tendencies of an irreligious and unmetaphysical cosmopolitanism |
Materialistic world-outlook. Cult of science, utility and prosperity | |||
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| Ethical-social ideals of life. Epoch of "Unmathematical philosophy". "Skepsis" | ||||
| Tendencies in Buddha's time |
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Movements in Islam | ||
| Inner completion of the mathematical form-world. The concluding thought | ||||
| (lost) |
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| Degradation of abstract thinking into professional lecture-room philosophy. Compendium literature | ||||
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Schools of Baghdad and Basra | |||
| Spread of a final world-sentiment | ||||
| Indian Buddhism since 500 | Hellenistic-Roman Stoicism since 200 | The practical Fatalism in Islam since 1000 | The spread of ethical Socialism from 1900 | |
| Phase | Egyptian | Classical | Arabian | Western | |
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| Pre-Cultural Period Chaos of primitive expression forms. Mystical symbolism and naive imitation |
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| Culture Life-history of a style Formative of the entire inner-being. Form-language of deepest symbolic necessity |
Early Period Ornamentation and architecture as elementary expression of the young world-feeling: "The Primitives" |
OLD KINGDOM (2900–2400 BC) |
DORIC (1100–500 BC) |
EARLY-ARABIAN FORM-WORLD (Sassanid, Byzantine, Armenian, Syrian, Sabæan, "Late-Classical" and "Early-Christian") (0–500) |
GOTHIC (900–1500) |
| Birth and Rise. Forms sprung from the Land, unconsciously shaped | |||||
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11–9th centuries BC
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1st–3rd centuries
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11–13th centuries | ||
| Completion of the early form-language. Exhaustion of possibilities. Contradiction | |||||
2320–2200 BC
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8–7th centuries BC
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4–5th centuries | 14–15th centuries
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| Late Period Formation of a group of arts urban and conscious, in the hands of individuals: "Great Masters." |
Formation of a mature artistry | ||||
2130–1990 BC
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| Perfection of an intellectualized form-language | |||||
1990–1790 BC
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480–350 BC
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7–8th centuries
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| Exhaustion of strict creativeness. Dissolution of grand form. End of style. "Classicism" and "Romanticism" | |||||
| Confusion after about 1750 |
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| Civilization Existence without inner form. Metropolitan city art as a commonplace: luxury, sport, nerve excitement. Rapidly-changing fashions in art (revivals, arbitrary discoveries, borrowings) |
Modern art. "Art problems". Attempts to portray or to excite the metropolitan consciousness. Transformation of music, architecture and painting into mere craft-arts | ||||
| Hyksos Period (1675–1550 BC). Preserved only in Crete (Minoan art) | Hellenism | Sultan dynasties of 9th–10th centuries
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19th and 20th centuries
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| End of form development. Meaningless, empty, artificial, pretentious architecture and ornament. Imitation of archaic and exotic motives | |||||
1550–1328 BC
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100 BC–100 AD
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From 2000 | ||
| Finale. Formation of a fixed stock of forms. Imperial display by means of material and mass. Provincial craft-art | |||||
1328–1195 BC
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| Phase | Egyptian | Classical | Chinese | Western | |
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| Pre-Cultural Period Primitive folk. Tribes and their chiefs. As Yet No "Politics" and no "State" |
Thinite Period (MENES) 3100–2600 | Mycenaean Age (AGAMEMNON) 1600–1100 |
Shang Period 1700–1300 |
Frankish period CHARLEMAGNE 500–900 |
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| Culture National groups of definite style and particular world-feeling: "nations." Working of an immanent state-idea |
Early Period Organic articulation of political existence. The two prime classes (noble and priest). Feudal economics; purely agrarian values |
OLD KINGDOM 2600–2200 | DORIC PERIOD 1100–650 | EARLY CHOU PERIOD 1300–800 | GOTHIC PERIOD 900–1500 |
| 1. Feudalism. Spirit of countryside and countryman. The "City" only a market or stronghold. Chivalric-religious ideals. Struggles of vassals amongst themselves and against overlord | |||||
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The central ruler (Wang) pressed hard by the feudal nobility |
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| 2. Crisis and dissolution of patriarchal forms. From feudalism to aristocratic State | |||||
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934–904: I-Wang and the vassals
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| Late Period Actualizing of the matured State-idea. Town versus countryside. Rise of Third Estate (Bourgeoisie). Victory of money over landed property |
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| MIDDLE KINGDOM 2150–1800 | IONIC PERIOD 650–300 | LATE CHOU PERIOD 800–500 | BAROQUE PERIOD 1500–1800 | ||
| 3. Fashioning of a world of States of strict form. Frondes | |||||
11th dynasty
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6th century
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Period of the "Protectors" (Ming-Chu 685–591) and the congresses of princes (–460) | Dynastic family-power, and Fronde (Richelieu, Wallenstein, Cromwell)—circa 1630 | ||
| 4. Climax of the State-form ("Absolutism") Unity of town and country ("State" and
"Society." The "three estates") |
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| 1990–1790: 12th dynasty | The pure Polis (absolutism of the Demos)
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590–480: Chun-Chiu period ("Spring" and "Autumn")
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Ancien Régime. Rococo. Court nobility of Versailles. Cabinet politics. Habsburg and Bourbon. Louis XIV, Frederick the Great | ||
| 5. Break-up of the State-form (Revolution and Napoleonism). Victory of the city over the countryside (of the "people" over the privileged, of the intelligentsia over tradition, of money over policy) | |||||
| 1788–1680: Revolution and military government. Decay of the realm. Small potentates, in some cases sprung from the people | 4th century: Social revolution and the Second Tyrannis (Dionysus I, Jason of Pherae, Appius Claudius the Censor)
Alexander |
480: Beginning of the Chan-Kwo period
441: Fall of the Chou dynasty. Revolutions and annihilation-wars |
End of XVIII century: Revolution in America and France (Washington, Fox, Mirabeau, Robespierre)
Napoleon |
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| Civilization The body of the people, now essentially urban in constitution, dissolves into formless mass. Megalopolis and Provinces. The Fourth Estate ("Masses"), inorganic, cosmopolitan |
1. Domination of Money ("Democracy"). Economic powers permeating the political forms and authorities | ||||
| 1675–1550: Hyksos period. Deepest decline. Dictatures of alien generals (Chian). After 1600, definitive victory of the rulers of Thebes | 300–100: Political Hellenism. From Alexander to Hannibal and Scipio royal all-power; from Cleomenes III and C. Flaminius (220) to C. Marius, radical demagogues | 480–230: Period of the "Contending States"
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1800–2000
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| 2. Formation of Caesarism. Victory of force-politics over money. Increasing primitiveness of political forms. Inward decline of the nations into a formless population, and constitution thereof as an Imperium of gradually-increasing crudity of despotism | |||||
| 1580–1350: Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt | 100 BC–100 AD: Sulla to Domitian |
250 BC–26 AD: House of Wang-Cheng and Western Han dynasty
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2000–2200 | ||
| 3. Maturing of the final form. Private and family policies of individual leaders. The world as spoil. Egypticism, Mandarinism, Byzantinism. Historyless stiffening and enfeeblement even of the imperial machinery, against young peoples eager for spoil, or alien conquerors. Primitive human conditions slowly thrust up into the highly-civilized mode of living | |||||
| 1350–1205: Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt | 100–300: Trajan to Aurelian | 25–320: Eastern Han dynasty
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after 2200 | ||
The following links to print versions of the tables are provided for verification purposes.
In German:
Table I. "Contemporary" Spiritual Epochs
Table II. "Contemporary" Artistic Epochs
Table III. "Contemporary" Political Epochs
In English:
Spengler's Civilization Model
The Decline of the West
