TOPIC

Comment on Oswald Spenglers Theory of Civilization and discuss its applicability to the Caribbean

OSWALD SPENGLER - THE HISTORIAN AND PHILOSOPHER 1 Oswald Spengler was born in Blankenberg in Central Germany in 1880. His family was a typical conservative German petite-bourgeoisie. His father, originally a mining technician, was a post office bureaucrat. His childhood home was emotionally reserved, and Spengler turned to books and the great cultural personalities for comfort. At the age of ten, his family moved to the University City of Halle, where Spengler received an education at the local Gymnasium, studying Greek, Latin, Mathematics and Natural Science. He also developed a love for the arts, especially poetry, drama and music. Spengler attended several universities as a private scholar, taking courses in a wide range of subjects but was undirected. In 1903, he failed his doctorial thesis on Heraclitus, a Greek Philosopher, which effectively ended his chances of an academic career. In 1904, he received his Ph.D. From 1908 to 1911, he worked at a practical high

school in Hamberg where he taught Science, German History and Mathematics.

SPENGLERS FIRST BOOK - THE DECLINE OF THE WEST 2 Spengler began to work on the first volume of his book Decline of the West in which he put forward a theory on the rise and decline of civilizations. At first, he intended to focus on Germany within Europe, but the Agadir Crisis affected him deeply
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Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia/ Oswald Spengler Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia/ The Decline of the West

and so he widened the scope of his study. He became a great German historian and political theorist. Spengler used the period during World War I and the interwar period to write and research extensively. In his book, he argued that all cultures are subject to the same cycle of growth and decline in accordance with predetermined historical destiny. He was branded by some Socialists as an intellectual precursor and was eventually ostracized as a result of his refusal to support racial superiority and also for his work on the Hour of Decision. Spengler was inspired by Otto Seecks work - The Decline of Antiquity. The book was completed in 1914 but publishing was delayed because of World War I. When the book Decline of the West was published, it was a great success and widely sought by historians who criticized its contents and took offense at the amateur effort by an untrained author and his unapologetically, non-scientific approach. Although his work was highly criticized, it became an important foundation for social cycle theory. It is important to note which cultures were to be investigated by Spengler in his book. He specified eight that are distinct and conspicuous in the annals of world history, the Egyptian, the Classical (the sum of Greek and Roman civilization), the Magian (a combination of Iranian, Hebrew and Arabian cultures), the Chinese, the Indian, the Babylonian, the Mexican and the Western civilization. Spengler made little attempt to justify singling out these eight as the best examples of what is defined by culture. Spenglers understanding of world history causes him to break radically with other historical thinkers on this point. He saw each culture exhibiting an essentially organic nature, at the time that a culture ceases to evolve and grow, that it forms a

civilization, that has brought itself into fruition and in its last phase will maintain the convention and systems it has brought into being.

OSWALD SPENGLERS THEORY OF CIVILIZATION Civilization is defined as an advanced state of intellectual, cultural and material development in human society marked by progress in the arts and sciences, the extensive use of record-keeping, including writing and the appearance of complex political and social institutions.3 Culture is defined as the way of life of people, including their attitudes, values, beliefs, arts, sciences, modes of perception and habits of thought and activity. Cultural features of forms of life learned but are to persuasive to be readily noticed from within.4 Oswald Spengler designed a theory that applied to the western civilization that states the possibility that the arts may have allotted a span of life and, may be attached as forms of self-expression to particular regions and particular types of mankind, and therefore the total history of an art may be merely an addictive compilation of separate developments of special arts. Spenglers natural affinity for Science and the natural world led him to form a highly original philosophy of history namely, that the existence of a culture mirrors that of a biological organism. Birth, growth, pinnacle, decay and death were features that were present in both phenomena and the rhythms of nature could be found as the underpinnings in the development of individual human cultures.

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See American Heritage Dictionary See Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy

Spengler called this the cyclical morphology of culture and presented the metaphysical grounds for such a theory in the preface of his book - Decline of the West.5

THE APPLICABILITY TO THE CARRIBBEAN According to Spenglers theory, civilizations rise and are destined to decline or fall. Spenglers theory is being used in many countries across the Caribbean. The

Caribbean countries, as all other countries around the world are currently undergoing global recession. This certainly is affecting civilization because lack of financial

resources or natural disasters and not having the resources to sustain development causes civilization to break down. Trinidad and Tobago, for example, during the period 1974 - 1981, experienced an oil boom as there was a high rate of oil export and also increased oil prices. The countrys economy blossomed with high revenue. The standard of living for the society improved drastically. There was improved civilization in that more modern, architectural homes were constructed and acquired. There was an increase in the purchase of vehicles. Poverty was somewhat under control but not eradicated. The Government at the time, seemed to have lacked investment skills and so due to poor management of the economy, the country suffered a declined, and so experienced a recession. The effects of the downturn had an enormous decline in modern

civilization. Jobs were lost, homes were lost, poverty increased. The Government of the day had to borrow money from the foreign market to help to sustain the economy. Again,

Donald L. Stockton - Oswald Spenglers Uneven Legacy

another of Spenglers theory is being used here in the Caribbean. He believes that every culture experiences a life cycle of growth. In another theory, Spengler spoke of the morphology of culture, where history was not merely a past but a destiny. For example, in the country of Haiti, when JeanBertrand Aristide was ousted in a February 2004 rebellion, he accused the US of organizing the coup against him. Aristide was forced into exile, flown directly out of Haiti to the Central African Republic, before eventually settling in South Africa. Aristide remained in exile for seven years and returned to Haiti on March 18, 2011. The people in Haiti would prefer that he had remained in exile, however, Aristide decided that he wanted to be inaugurated as president of Haiti once again. Spenglers theory applies here because Aristide was president of Haiti twice and wants to become the president once more, hence history repeating itself. Spenglers theory could be applied to many other Caribbean countries that at one point had an economical high and had to suffer an economical decline, financially or by natural disaster.

CONCLUSION
Oswald Spengler was famous for determining the outcomes of certain cultures. Many historians thought that Spengler was an amateur and did not accept him as a serious historian. He wrote a book called the Decline of the West that was based on the rise and decline on western civilizations. Spenglers theory of civilization was applied to Caribbean Countries and the concept was the same in certain counties.