CYCLICAL THEORY

Prepared by:
Ethel Jane M. Queppet, RSW
• Cyclical theories of social change hold that
civilizations rise and fall in an endless series of
cycles. Oswald Spengler wrote a book ‘The
Decline of the West’ in 1918, in which he wrote
that the fate of civilization was a matter of
‘destiny’. He saw society moving in continual
cycles of growth and decay.
• He said that each civilization is like biological
organism, taking birth and then going to maturity,
old age and ultimately to death. He studied eight
major civilizations, including the western
civilization and said that western society is in its
old stage and is entering the period of decay.
This type of cyclical theory of social change has
become obsolete.
*Civilization of human society ( birth, growth and
death "called cyclical Theory) 
 Modern society is in its last stage. It is in its
old age. But since history repeats itself,
society after passing through all its stages,
returns to the original stage, whence the cycle
begins all over again.
Spengler developed another version of cyclical
theory of social change. He analyzed the history of
various civilizations including the Egyptian, Greek
and Roman and concluded that all civilizations
pass through a similar cycle of birth, maturity and
death.