Project Gutenberg 2014-02-14 Public domain in the USA. 371 Adams, Brooks 1848 1927 The Law of Civilization and Decay: An Essay on History Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Law_of_Civilization_and_Decay Produced by Sean (scribe_for_hire@yahoo.com), based on page images generously made available by the Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/lawofcivilizatio00adam). "The Law of Civilization and Decay: An Essay on History" by Brooks Adams is a historical account written in the late 19th century. In this work, Adams examines the cycles of civilization, particularly the evolution and eventual decay of societies, arguing for a systematic understanding of history that ties human behavior to economic and social forces. The central thesis suggests that civilizations rise and fall based on their ability to manage the interplay between martial and economic energies, reflecting on the consequences that result when societies become overly centralized. The opening of the text establishes the author’s intent and philosophical framework, emphasizing a non-biased, observational approach to history. Adams posits that the essence of societal development can be discerned through the relationship between various social phenomena, such as economics, religion, and military structure. He introduces key concepts explored throughout the essay, including the roles of fear and greed in shaping social movements, and suggests that as societies centralize, they inevitably face disintegration due to the accumulation of power in the hands of wealthy elites. By tracing historical examples, especially the decline of the Roman Empire, he indicates how economic dynamics eroded the vitality of civilizations, ultimately leading to their decay and the rise of new social orders. (This is an automatically generated summary.) file:///public/vhost/g/gutenberg/html/files/44908/44908-h/images/cover.jpg Reading ease score: 55.0 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en History -- Philosophy Civilization -- History Degeneration D Text Browsing: Culture/Civilization/Society Browsing: History - General Browsing: Philosophy & Ethics Category: History - Other Category: Philosophy & Ethics 864238 2025-06-18T09:05:01.165526 text/html 826934 2024-10-24T02:43:04 text/html 339093 2025-06-18T09:05:14.298445 application/epub+zip 351175 2025-06-18T09:05:03.311520 application/epub+zip 351175 2025-06-18T09:05:02.153690 application/epub+zip 600523 2025-06-18T09:05:21.861361 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 519795 2025-06-18T09:05:13.223463 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 519829 2022-09-20T13:46:06.905850 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 703373 2025-06-18T09:04:59.304522 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 683337 2024-10-24T02:43:04 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17417 2025-06-18T09:05:22.018405 application/rdf+xml 8535 2025-06-18T09:05:02.381523 image/jpeg 1870 2025-06-18T09:05:02.284567 image/jpeg 327185 2025-06-18T09:05:01.236641 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia