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Interpretation of History as the repeating cycles of events was first put forward in the academic world in the 19th Century in Historiosophy (a branch of Historiography ) and was soon adopted by Sociology . Among prominent historiosophers important is Russia n philosopher Nikolai Danilewski ( 1822 - 1885 ), who in ''Rossiia I Europa'' ( 1895 ) differentiated between various smaller Civilization s (Egyptian, Chinese, Persian, Greece, Roman, German, and Slav, among others). He wrote that each civilisation has a Life Cycle , and by the end of 19th Century the Roman-German civilisation was in decline, while Slav civilisation was approaching its Golden Age . Similar theory was put forward by Oswald Spengler ( 1880 - 1936 ) who in his ''Der Untergang des Abendlandes'' ( 1918 ) ''also expected that the Western Civilisation was about to collapse.'' The first social cycle theory in sociology was created by Italian sociologist and economist Vilfredo Pareto ( 1848 - 1923 ) in his ''Trattato di Sociologia Generale'' ( 1916 ). He centered his theory on the concept of Elite Social Class , which he divided into cunning 'foxes' and violent 'lions'. In his view of society, the Power constantly passes from 'foxes' to 'lions' and vice versa. Social cycle theory was developed by Pitirim A. Sorokin ( 1889 - 1968 ) in his ''Social and Cultural Dynamics'' ( 1937, 1943 ). He classified societies according to their 'cultural mentality', which can be ideational (reality as spiritual), sensate (reality is material), or idealistic (a synthesis of the two). He has interpreted the contemporary West as a sensate civilisation dedicated to Technological Progress and prophesied its fall into decandence and the emergence of a new ideational or idealistic era. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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