Chapter I: Front Matter

THE DECLINE
OF THE WEST

[DER UNTERGANG DES
ABENDLANDES]

BY
OSWALD SPENGLER

VOLUME ONE
FORM AND ACTUALITY
[GESTALT UND WIRKLICHKEIT]

VOLUME TWO
PERSPECTIVES OF
WORLD-HISTORY

[WELTHISTORISCHE PERSPEKTIVEN]

THE DECLINE
OF THE WEST

PERSPECTIVES OF WORLD-HISTORY

BY
OSWALD SPENGLER

_AUTHORIZED TRANSLATION
WITH NOTES BY_
CHARLES FRANCIS ATKINSON

VOLUME TWO

MCMXXVIII: ALFRED A KNOPF: NEW YORK

COPYRIGHT 1928 BY ALFRED A. KNOPF, INC.

_Originally published as
Der Untergang des Abendlandes
Welthistorische Perspektiven_

_Copyright 1922 by
C. H. Becksche, Verlagsbuchhandlung,
München_

MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

TRANSLATOR’S NOTE

In the annotations to this volume I have followed the same course as in the first--namely, that of giving primary references to the _Encyclopædia Britannica_ as being the most considerable work of the kind that is really widely distributed in both the English-speaking fields, though occasionally special encyclopaedias or other works are referred to. Owing to the more definitely historical character of this volume, as compared with its predecessor, and particularly its stressing of a history that scarcely figures as yet in a regular education--the “Magian”--such references are necessarily more numerous. Even so, more might perhaps have been inserted with advantage. The Translator’s notes have no pretension to be critical in themselves, though here and there an argument is pointed with an additional example, or an obvious criticism anticipated. In each domain they will no doubt be resented by an expert, but the same expert will, it is hoped, find them useful for domains not his own.

In the first volume of the English version, references to the second were necessarily given according to the pagination of the German. A comparative table of English and German page numbers has therefore been inserted. A list of corrigenda to Vol. I is also issued with this volume.

C. F. A.

_London, July 1928_

TABLE OF GERMAN AND ENGLISH PAGES

German English German English
VOL. II VOL. II VOL. II VOL. II

11 9 166 138
13 10 180 149
16 13 182 151
18 14 207 173
19 15 212 176
20 16 227 189
25 23 231 192
27 25 238 196
31 27 240 199
33 29 241 200
34 30 243 202
36 32 244 203
38 33 253 209
41 35 269 220
42 36 275 225
51 43 293 240
58 48 294 241
68 60 296 242
80 68 298 243
101 87 304 248
104 89 305 249
109 92 306 249
110 93 307 250
116 98 314 255
117 99 315 256
122 103 316 257
135 115 318 258
137 116 323 265
138 118 324 265
142 120 327 268
159 133 328 268

German English German English
VOL. II VOL. II VOL. II VOL. II

334 273 403 327
342 279 421 340
343 280 427 345
345 281 441 355
346 282 482 388
350 286 488 392
354 288 521 416
357 291 529 422
358 292 539 430
359 293 562 449
360 293 577 460
362 295 589 471
363 296 603 481
365 297 607 484
368 299 610 486
369 300 616 490
370 301 618 492
373 303 624 499
376 306 625 500
378 307 626 501
382 310 627 501
385 313 631 504

CONTENTS OF VOLUME II

Translator’s Note v

References from Volume I vii

Chapter I. Origin and Landscape. (A) The Cosmic and The Microcosm 1

Plant and animal, p. 3. Being and waking-being, p. 6. Feeling,
understanding, thinking, p. 9. The motion problem, p. 14.
Mass-soul, p. 18.

Chapter II. Origin and Landscape. (B) The Group of the Higher
Cultures 21

History-picture and nature-picture, p. 23. Human and world history,
p. 28. Two ages: primitive and high Cultures, p. 33. Survey of
the high Cultures, p. 39. Historyless mankind, p. 48.

Chapter III. Origin and Landscape. (C) The Relations between the
Cultures 53

“Influence,” p. 55. Roman law, p. 60. Magian law, p. 67. Western
law, p. 75.

Chapter IV. Cities and Peoples. (A) The Soul of the City 85

Mycenæ and Crete, p. 87. The peasant, p. 89. World-history is
urban history, p. 90. Figure of the city, p. 92. City and
intellect, p. 96. Spirit of the world-city, p. 99. Sterility and
disintegration, p. 103.

Chapter V. Cities and Peoples. (B) Peoples, Races, Tongues 111

Streams of being and linkages of waking-being, p. 114.
Expression-language and communication-language, p. 115. Totem
and Taboo, p. 116. Speech and speaking, p. 117. The house as
race-expression, p. 120. Castle and cathedral, p. 122. Race, p.
124. Blood and soil, p. 127. Speech, p. 131. Means and meaning,
p. 134. Word, grammar, p. 137. Language-history, p. 145. Script,
p. 149. Morphology of the Culture-languages, p. 152.

Chapter VI. Cities and Peoples. (C) Primitives, Culture-Peoples,
Fellaheen 157

People-names, languages, races, p. 159. Migrations, p. 161. People
and soul, p. 165. The Persians, p. 166. Morphology of peoples, p.
169. People and nation, p. 170. Classical, Arabian, and Western
nations, p. 173.

Chapter VII. Problems of the Arabian Culture. (A) Historic
Pseudomorphoses 187

“Pseudomorphosis,” p. 189. Actium, p. 191. Russia, p. 192. Arabian
chivalry, p. 196. Syncretism, p. 200. Jews, Chaldeans, Persians
of the pre-Culture, p. 204. Mission, p. 209. Jesus, p. 212.
Paul, p. 220. John, Marcion, p. 225. The pagan and Christian
cult-churches, p. 228.

Chapter VIII. Problems of the Arabian Culture. (B) The
Magian Soul 231

Dualism of the World-cavern, p. 233. Time-feeling (era,
world-history, grace), p. 238. Consensus, p. 242. The “Word” as
substance, the Koran, p. 244. Secret Torah, commentary, p. 246.
The group of the Magian religions, p. 248. The Christological
controversy, p. 255. Being as extension (mission), p. 258.

Chapter IX. Problems of the Arabian Culture. (C) Pythagoras,
Mohammed, Cromwell 263

Essence of religion, p. 265. Myth and cult, p. 268. Moral as
sacrifice, p. 271. Morphology of religious history, p. 275. The
pre-Culture: Franks, Russians, p. 277. Egyptian early period, p.
279. Classical, p. 281. China, p. 285. Gothic (Mary and Devil,
baptism and contrition), p. 288. Reformation, p. 295. Science, p.
300. Rationalism, p. 305. “Second Religiousness,” p. 310. Roman
and Chinese emperor-worship, p. 313. Jewry, p. 315.

Chapter X. The State. (A) The Problem of the Estates: Nobility and
Priesthood 325

Man and woman, p. 327. Stock and estate, p. 329. Peasantry and
society, p. 331. Estate, caste, calling, p. 332. Nobility and
priesthood as symbols of Time and Space, p. 335. Training and
shaping, customary-ethic and moral, p. 340. Property, power, and
booty, p. 343. Priest and savant, p. 345. Economics and science,
money and intellect, p. 347. History of the estates, early
period, p. 348. The Third Estate, City-Freedom, _Bourgeoisie_,
p. 354.

Chapter XI. The State. (B) State and History 359

Movement and thing-moved; Being “in form,” p. 361. Right and might,
p. 363. Estate and State, p. 366. The feudal State, p. 371. From
feudal union to Estate-State, p. 375. Polis and Dynasty, p. 376.
The Absolute State, Fronde, and Tyrannis, p. 385. Wallenstein,
p. 389. Cabinet politics, p. 391. From First Tyrannis to Second,
p. 394. The bourgeois revolution, p. 398. Intellect and money,
p. 400. Formless powers (Napoleonism), p. 404. Emancipation
of money, p. 410. “Constitution,” p. 412. From Napoleonism to
Cæsarism (period of the “Contending States”), p. 416. The great
wars, p. 419. Age of the Romans, p. 422. From Caliphate to
Sultanate, p. 423. Egypt, p. 427. The present, p. 428. Cæsarism,
p. 431.

Chapter XII. The State. (C) Philosophy of Politics 437

Life is politics, p. 439. The political instinct, p. 441. The
statesman, p. 442. Creation of tradition, p. 444. Physiognomic
(diplomatic) pulse, p. 445. Estate and party, p. 448. The
_bourgeoisie_ as primary party (liberalism), p. 449. From Estate,
through party, to the magnate’s following, p. 452. Theory, from
Rousseau to Marx, p. 453. Intellect and money (democracy), p.
455. The press, p. 460. Self-annihilation of democracy through
money, p. 464.

Chapter XIII. The Form-world of Economic Life. (A) Money 467

National economics, p. 469. Political and economic sides of life,
p. 471. Productive and acquisitive economy (agriculture and
trade), p. 473. Politics and trade (power and spoil), p. 475.
Primitive economy, and economic style of the high Cultures,
p. 476. Estate and economic class, p. 477. The cityless land,
thinking in goods, p. 480. The city, thinking in money, p.
481. World-economics, mobilization of goods by money, p. 484.
The Classical idea of money, the coin, p. 486. The slave as
money, p. 487. Faustian thinking in money, the book-value, p.
489. Double-entry book-keeping, p. 490. The coin in the West,
p. 490. Money and work, p. 492. Capitalism, p. 493. Economic
organization, p. 494. Extinction of money-thought; Diocletian;
the economic thought of the Russian, p. 495.

Chapter XIV. The Form-world of Economic Life. (B) The Machine 497

Spirit of technics, p. 499. Primitive technics and style of
the high Cultures, p. 500. Classical technics, p. 501. The
will-to-power over nature, the inventor, p. 501. Intoxication of
modern discovery, p. 502. The man as slave of the machine, p.
504. Entrepreneurs, workers, engineers, p. 504. Struggle between
money and industry, p. 505. Last battle of money and politics,
victory of the blood, p. 507.

Index TO FOLLOW 507