Quigley - The Evolution of Civilizations (1979)

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This Carroll Quigley's monumental book The Evolution of Civilizations - An Introduction to Historical Analysis (1979) which presents a scientific tour-the-force analysis of the evolution of human civilization as a whole. Quigley, a world known professor of history, developed a detailed model of civilization's life cycle analysis. According to him, all civilizations pass through 7 predictable stages. Typically the 7th and last stage of one civilization is the first stage of another one that is succeeding the first dying civilization. Using his model, he analyzes in detail the life cycle of several major civilizations, including the Mesopotamian, Minoan, Classical, Russian, and Western. The autor was a legendary teacher at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service. This book served as a textbook for his course on the history of civilization which was extraordinary in its scope and in its impact on his students. He is best known to the general public as the political mentor of former US president Bill Clinton during his study years and who influenced Clinton more than any other. As Clinton later remembered it was Quigley's insights which brought him to the elite circles and ultimately to the presidency. Like the course, The Evolution of Civilizations is a comprehensive and perceptive look at the factors behind the rise and fall of civilizations. Quigley defines a civilization as "a producing society with an instrument of expansion." A civilization's decline is not inevitable but occurs when its instrument of expansion is transformed into an institution�?