The mastering of tasks, motives, norms of human activity and the development of emotional-consumptional sphere;

1. The mastering of tasks, motives, norms of human activity and the development of emotional-consumptional sphere;

2. The mastering of means of actions and the formation of operational-technical possibilities. In this case, the transition from one epoch to the next one occurs under the appearance of a discrepancy between operational-technical possibilities and problems and motives of the activity, on whose base they were formed[48].

Social changes can be considered in the context of societal processes, states, and features, which are realized in the frameworks of a unit epochal historical cycle. By societal psychics, we mean the most integral generalizing characteristics of social processes, a distinctive collective dictionary of the historical-cultural heredity of a society[49]. The analysis of societal characteristics is related with the methodological problem of decipherability of the historical-cultural code keeping the solution of properties of the societal psychics, which are objectified in all things encountered by the man in the historical-cultural space[50].

However, the largest methodological problem arising in the process of investigation is identification of the subject of analysis, whose objective societal indices should give exact data for theoretical constructions of periodization of the social-historical process both in retrospect and prospect.

Methodological approaches used upon the elaboration of the basic conception in studying the social-historical development will be mainly conserved during the investigation of a specific applied field for further analysis in the sphere of political, legal, philological, and other sciences of the social and humanitarian profile.

CHAPTER 5

Universal epochal cycle
of social development: structure
and contents

The informative characteristic of the conception may be presented in two main aspects: through defining the theoretical principles of the social-historical development and the hypothetical periodization of the world historical process on this basis.

The society as a subject of the history and civilization goes through a large life cycle in its development. In the context of the social philosophy and the philosophy of history, this thesis has already become a trivial truth. A prominent scientist Nils Bohr said that the truth may be trivial and deep. A statement, opposite to the trivial truth is simply false, and the statement, opposite to the deep truth, is also true[51]. The failure to perceive the idea of cyclicity of historical processes is mainly connected with the vulgar idea of progressive development that will inevitably lead the mankind from the «kingdom of necessity» to the «kingdom of freedom», despite regressive tendencies. The perception of the idea of cyclicity in the spirit of the circuit of Ecclesiast is also connected with this conceptual approach: what took place then, is taking place now; what will take place, already took place. We conceive that the historical development of a socium is, in fact, a realization of epochal cycles, each consisting of two periods.

The first epochal period, «involution», has the semantic content of mastering the societal qualities acquired by the society in the previous period of development. The simplification of a social structure, traditionalism, and a reducion of social processes in space is characteristic of the involutionary stage. Such a society has «closed» character, helping to maintain the social stability. In such a socium, the degree of freedom of an individual is limited by influence of the collective. The emotional-sensitive psychotype of a personality is determining.

The second epochal period (evolution) is characterized by the development of social processes in space, complication of the social structure, and innovative activity. One of the tasks of the evolution is a modernization of the traditional society. The historical indication of the evolutionary period is the acquisition of new social characteristics by the society, including the actualization of signs of the own preceding period of development or attributes, characteristic of the societies at a higher level of historical development. The social balance is maintained by innovative accumulations. «Involution» and «evolution» are the normative conditions of a society[52]. The liberation of an individual and the strengthening of the objective-cognitive component in the psychological structure of a personality becomes the fundament of the innovative activity in the involutionary period. The main characteristic of the evolution is the stability of changes.

Normative periods in the history of the society alternate with transient periods, when the structures of the socium and fundamental institutions are transforming.

An increase in the historical activity depends on the interaction of three fundamental factors: the social-political, social-economic, and natural-cosmic. Moreover, the significant influence of the spiritual sphere should be added to the mentioned above. Let us emphasize that the absence of the preconditions for intensive activity of one of those factors does not launch the mechanism of transformation on the whole.

An important role in a change of the periods of an epochal cycle is played by the social-historical phenomena of wars. The subjects of military actions make and finish wars at various moments of the historical development. The correction of the rhythm of a cycle, defining the destiny of the whole region, or even global changes may take place in the case of invasion of a country as, for example, after world wars.

The transient periods of social development are characterized with historical phases opposite by the direction of changes: «coevolution» and «revolution». For example, the «co-evolution» is the phase of transition from the normative period of «involution» to the normative period of «evolution». This period is realized within the single epochal cycle, that is why only the polarity of the system qualities of the society or «vectors» of social development are changing under such conditions[53].

As distinct from «co-evolution», «revolution» is a qualitative transformation of the entire social structure of the society. It creates the mechanism of transition from the normative condition of «evolution» to the «involution». At the same time, this process is connected with radical changes of the societal characteristics. The «revolution» as if generalizes the results of development of the society during the entire epochal cycle and opens a new cycle[54].

The characteristic of a subject of history is changing in the process of development. In fact, various types of subjects are acting. For example, during the «revolution», the role of a subject-individual is activizing. Let us recall the fact that, in the period of the Great French Revolution of 1789-1794, there were the most characteristic personalities acting on the political stage. Such names as Mirabeau, Danton, Robespierre, Napoleon became denominative for each stage of the mentioned revolution, and the roles played by them became typical of the analysis of similar processes. The same phenomena may be observed in Russia of 1905-1917, when the cohort of revolutionary activists actually «exceeded the demand» of the history. During the transformation of the «co-evolutionary» type, the role of the subject-socium becomes more significant. Let us emphasize that, under conditions of the involutionary process, the temporal space of the society is deformed in the direction of the future that, respectively, makes the society a mythological one. In the process of the «evolution», one observes the displacement of attention to the past.

The information about the number of social roles confirms the relevance of the research hypothesis concerning the different levels of complexity of the social structures of the «involutionary» and the «evolutionary» societies. Whereas the number of social roles is about 70,000 in the countries that went through the Great Depression of 1929-1933, this number is about 30-40 thousand in the domestic area.

The discrepancy between the calendar-historic time of development of the society and the levels of biological and societal development are fundamental for antroposociogenetic development. Of adequacy for the social-historic analysis is the universal epochal cycle consisting of four interrelated elements (two opposite historical periods and two transient periods), which form the conventional scheme: «involution» – «co-evolution»  – «evolution»  – «revolution».

Now let us try to define specific «beacons» (the most important events in the spiritual or material spheres) on the historical material (after receiving the empirical data, this hypothesis may be reviewed). These «beacons» will give grounds for defining the possible chronological frames of every phase and the epochal cycle on the whole. After this analysis, we define an approximate number of cycles, already «processed» in the world historical process. On the grounds of such a research, it would be possible to create an adequate model of periodization of a change of epochal cycles.

Such a periodization should reflect the mechanisms of interaction at the three hierarchical levels: global, regional, and of certain countries. In this case, one may assume that the higher the hierarchical level, the later the transformational changes begin at it (for example, at the global level).

But, first of all, we make an approximate list of the elements (classifications) of the social-economic formations. The Marxist «five-element structure» – primitive communal, slave-owning, feudalist, capitalist, and communist systems – «works» to the «post-capitalist» formation.

The «three-stage» classifications are quite popular. They are presented by Morgan [wildness (since the appearance of the primitive people), barbarity (since the emergence of the primitive forms of agriculture), civilization (since the emergence of the state)] and by Bell [the pre-industrial period (the production is human-powered or animal-powered), the industrial (the basis is the work of mechanisms), the post-industrial period (the life of a society is maintained mainly by the means of the reproduction of information)]. These classifications are provided with chronological characteristics: the prehistoric epoch (before the creation of writing), antique, mediaeval, modern and contemporary time. However, this approach is too scholastic and conditional.

The creation of a more adequate single system of classification is complicated by the controversial semantic loads carried by the corresponding terminology. However, such an attempt can be undertaken.

We emphasize that the model by Spengler[55] is the most developed system of periodization in a strong accordance with the cyclic approach.

Table 1

«Simultaneous» spiritual epochs

Continued

Continued

Then O. Spengler presents the tables of the «simultaneous» art epochs and «simultaneous» political epochs.

The division of large historical periods into periods is presented in the book by N. A. Chmykhov[56]. For example, the duration of a historical epoch is approximately 532 years. In the context of the offered system of periodization, the contemporary epoch began approximately in 419 AD and will continue till 2015. It is conventionally divided into three 532-periods: 419-951 (the early feudalism), 951-1483 (the developed feudalism), 1483-2015 (the modern time).

The content of the historical process is opened through the 133-year half-stages: 419-552 AD, the migratory processes in Europe, making the lands, invaded by the Barbarians, to be habitable; the first signs of feudalism; 552-685 AD – the victory of the feudalist relations, the disappearance of the signs of the early iron epoch; 685-818 – the consolidation processes, the completion of the main migrations; 818-951 – the early feudalist society; 951-1084 – the transition to the feudalist disunity; 1084-1217 – the peak of the feudalist disunity; 1217-1350 – the transition to centralization; 1350-1483 – the establishment of centralized feudalist societies; 1483-1616 – the origin of «capitalist» relations; 1616-1749 – the coming of capitalism; 1749-1882 – the transformation of capitalism into the power acting throughout the world; 1882-2015 – the blossom and the crisis of the contemporary epoch. Despite the immanent controversy, the existing systems of periodization give «beacons» that help to continue the work.

CHAPTER 6

Periodization of the world history
in the light of a new conceptual construction: global (macro) level of analisys
and prognosis.

Let us return to the problem of definition of hypothetical periodization of the w-orld’s historical process according to the conception of the research. The assumed chronological frames may constitute up to 5000 years, i.e., from 3000 BC to 2000 AD.

It is natural that the subject of historical activity will change during this period of history, but the approach to three levels of analysis should remain unchanged. These levels are: the global level that must reflect a change of epochs at the level of civilizations; the regional level (continents and their most important territorial parts), and specific countries. The problem of the co-existence of the state and the society, the interaction of the individual (including the most prominent historical personalities) and the society – should be at the focus of attention.

The revolutionary period of the first epochal cycle characterizes the emergence of the first civilizations (Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, China), which is connected with the establishment of the counting of (astronomical) time. Let us cite the most prominent «eras». The 1st January 4713 BC is the beginning of Scaliger’s era, whence the uninterrupted counting of days is conducted. 3761 BC is the creation of the world according to the Hebrew calendar. The creation of the man is referred to 3113 BC by the Maya. The emergence of the most ancient (archeological) cultures is chronologically referred approximately to the same period. For example, they are the Trypillya culture (near 4000 BC), Mohenjo-Daro (India), Chatal Huyuk (Asia Minor), the first agricultural cultures in Mexico. The origin of the civilizations in Mesopotamia (Uruk) and Egypt (3000-2800 BC) (The Ancient Kingdom), the epoch of building the Pyramids, the sources of the Chinese civilization (the first legendary emperor Fu Hsi) – all this is referred to the involutionary stage of the first epochal cycle.

The transition to the co-evolutionary stage of development is connected with the processes of territorial unification (Sargon I the Accadian united all Mesopotamian territories). In Sumer near 2000 BC, punishments according to the principle of Taleon (eye for eye) are replaced by a ransom.

The mosaic migrations of ethnoses stimulated changes in the balance of force at the regional level. The Chaldean kingdom is the hegemon in the Interfluve. The Laws of Hammurapi (1750 BC). The strengthening of the Hittites. Near 1750 BC – the split of Egypt (The Upper and the Lower by the unification of nomes on the Nile). The processes of unification in China (near 1766 BC – the victory of Shan tribes over the Sia ones). The appearance of Shan-In dynasty. Social restoration processes take place in Crete (the Minoan civilization) (1700-1400 BC – the period of the «new castles»).

A growth of fight between the most ancient civilization centers of the Mediterranean region and Asia Minor for hegemony is connected with the evolutionary period of the epochal cycle. 1580-1314 BC – Egypt – the 18th dynasty – Yakhmosis I, Tuthmosis III – 15 invasive campaigns of the Pharaoh to Palestine, that turned Egypt into the «world’s state», Akhenaten (the reformator of religion, the idea of monotheism – Aten, the God of Sun). The blossom of Mycenae. The fight of Egypt against the Hittites. The beginning of migration of Aryan tribes to India. The Trojan War (13th century BC). The first epochal cycle of the world’s historic process terminated approximately at this time. The formation and struggle of ancient centers of civilization became the content of this cycle. (30-13th centuries BC).

The second epochal cycle begins with the revolutionary stage, connected with the following historical events. The political decline of Babylon (XI-VIII centuries BC), the fall of the Mycenaean civilization, the geopolitical changes in Mesopotamia. The struggle of Egypt with the «sea nations». The Western and Eastern Chou (China). The involutionary stage of the cycle is connected with the beginning of the decline of the Israelite kingdom (after David and Solomon) (935 BC) and with the imperialistic policy of Assyria in the Interfluve. The social-innovative activity at the co-evolutionary stage of the cycle is connected with nearly simultaneous important events. 770-481 BC – the period of «Spring and Autumn», connected with the intensification of fight for hegemony between the leading Chinese kingdoms, 776 BC – the traditional date of conducting the First Greek Olympics, and 753 BC – the date of the foundation of Rome. Meantime, Assyria continued the war for preserving the invaded territories in Asia Minor, which was particularly successful during the rule of Sargon II (722-705 BC).

The evolutionary stage within this cycle is connected with important changes both in the spiritual sphere (Karl Jaspers called VIII-VI centuries BC as the «axial time») and in the sociopolitical sphere. India: Upanishads. China: Taoism. Persia: Zoroastrism. Avesta. Near 664-525 BC – The Later kingdom of Egypt. Saiss dynasty. Japan: 660 BC – the official date of appearance of the Yamato dynasty. 594 BC – the reforms of Solon in Athens, new principles of the polis structure, differentiated from the Asian tradition of a state structure. 612 AD – the downfall of Assyria. Thus, the second epochal cycle had the chronological duration of about 600 years (XII-VI centuries BC).

The third epochal cycle on the revolutionary stage is identified with the beginning of the new Old Testament tradition, which is connected with the Jews’ being in the Babylonian captivity (597-586 BC) after the invasion of Judaea by the king Nebuchadnezzar II. (till 539 BC, when Babylon was captured by the Persians). One of the world religions – Buddhism – emerges at this stage (560-480 BC – Buddha). As known, the doctrine of transmigration of souls was characteristic of Pythagoreans.

The involutionary stage is connected with the strengthening of the Persians ( in the 6th century BC, they established their control practically over the whole territory of Asia Minor, including the Greek cities, and reached more than Assyria at its times). 525 BC – the Persians received the victory over Egypt. 510 BC – the establishment of a republic in Rome. China: written laws, money, Confucianism.

The co-evolutionary stage of the third epochal cycle is identified with the wars between the Greeks and the Persians (500-449 BC). At the same time, there happened the first great clash of the West and the East, the time of growth of the classic antique culture (Aeschyle, Sophocle, Pericles, Thucydides, Protagor: «the man is a measure of all things»). China: 481-281 BC – the period of «fighting kingdoms» of the «seven strongest»: Ch’in, Ch’u, Yuan, Ch’i, Wei, Chao, Han. The philosopher Mo-Czi (utopianism). The evolutionary stage of the characterized cycle is connected with the following historical events: the conflict of plebeians and patricians in Rome. 469-399 BC – Socrates. The dialectic thinking in the western civilizational tradition. 444-429 BC – the Athenian democracy. Pericles. 431-404 BC – the Peloponnesus war between Athens and Sparta for hegemony, the beginning of decline of a traditional Greek polis. The strengthening of Macedonia. The beginning of creation of the Great Chinese wall – the only artificial structure seen from the cosmos.

The third epochal cycle, impregnated with large-scale historical events, has the chronological frames of VI-V centuries BC. In fact, it is the «axial time» according to Jaspers.

The fourth epochal cycle took its start in the 6th century BC in the revolutionary phase and is connected with the sources of the Hellenism and the synthesis of the western and eastern traditions. 356-323 BC – Alexander the Great. 378-338 BC – the second Athenian naval union («The Gold Autumn of Athens»). 359-348 BC – the legist traditions (totalitarian model) of Shan Yan in the kingdom of Ch’in (China). The involutionary stage of the cycle is characterized with the wars of Diadochi for the heritage of Alexander the Great; India: the Empire of Maurya. Arthashastra – the science of policy. Rome – the end of the struggle between plebeians and patricians, the strengthening of the republican system, the spread of the Roman hegemony on the entire Apennine peninsula. The co-evolutionary stage is connected with the recognition of Buddhism as the official religion in India (Asoka 268-231 BC). The end of the Diadochian wars, the consolidation of the Hellenistic kingdoms (near 281 BC). The unification of China at the time of the Ch’in dynasty (246-201 BC). The beginning of the Punic wars between Rome and Carthage for the dominance over the Mediterranean region (264 BC). 146 BC – Rome established its power over Greece. The downfall of Carthage. The transformation of the Roman republic into the most powerful state. China: 145-87 BC – Ssu-ma Ch’ien. The classical tractate «Shi Tzi» (The Historical Notes). The evolutionary stage of the fourth epochal cycle comprises about 200 years (a hundred years BC and a hundred years AD) and is characterized with important changes: the crisis of the Roman Republic (the problems of the land reform – the activity of the brothers Gracchus); the peasant’s war in China under the guidance of Luban and the rule of the first dynasty of Han (206 BC – 9 AD). Near 165 BC: Judaea – the revolt of the Makoveii. The establishment of the «Great Silk Way» between the Empire of Han and Rome. Civil wars, the crisis of the Roman Republic. The 1st January 45 BC – the Julian Calendar. 30 BC – Rome – emperor Octavian Augustus. We recall that, in the era of Anno Domini, there is no null year. The date of Christmas was defined in 525 AD by Dionysus the Little. China: the revolt of the «Red Brows» in 18-29 AD. China: the invention of the rice paper. Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The beginning of the Christianity in the Roman Empire. The fourth epochal cycle – IV BC – I AD. The blossom of the Roman Empire. The spiritual crisis and the appearance of the new world religion of Christianity.

The fifth epochal cycle begins approximately in the 2nd century AD. The revolutionary stage is connected with the empire traditions of Rome. China: 220-265 AD – the «triregnum» period (hegemons), 3rd century AD – the spread of the Buddhist tradition from India. 313 AD Constantine acknowledged the Christianity as the official religion in the Roman Empire. The involutionary stage of the cycle is identified with the war between Rome and Persia. 381 AD – the Ecumenical council – the censure of Aryanism, the fight with the Christian heresies. 395 AD – the division of the Roman empire to the Western and Eastern ones (the Byzantine Empire). 451 AD – the defeat of Huns on the Catalaun fields. 455 AD – the spoliation of Rome by the Vandals. Nesterians – Christianity moves to the East. The co-evolutionary stage is connected with the formation of Barbarian statehood (the Barbarization of the Western Roman Empire and the Romanization of the Barbarians). 481-511 AD – Chlodwig – the king of Francs. 419-554 AD – the Visigothic kingdom. 439-534 AD – North Africa: Vandals. Byzantine Empire: Justinian (482-565 AD). 568 AD – Langobards in Italy ( in 757 AD, they were defeated by Pippinus Brevis). 407 AD – the Roman legions left Britain («the period of seven kings»).

The evolutionary stage of the fifth epochal cycle (6th century AD) is connected with important events in the development of the world religions. Christianity. Pope Gregorius I (590-604) – the attempt to strengthen the thearchy, which became the symbol of the struggle of Vatican as a universalistic force and secular feudalists for the hegemony over Europe till the period of the Reformation. Islam: 570-632 AD – prophet Mohammed, Koran. The 20th of September, 622 AD – Hegira (the emigration of the Prophet to Mecca) – the beginning of the chronology («the null year») according to the Muslim Calendar. Buddhism: the penetration to Japan, Cambodia, Korea, Tibet. The Slavs: the struggle against the Avars. 623-658 AD – the state of Samo (Czechia, Moravia).

Therefore, the fifth epochal cycle at the global level of the world historical process chronologically comprises the period from the 2nd to the 6th centuries AD.

The sixth epochal cycle is identified within the chronological frames of approximately VII-XII centuries: from Arabic invasions, the Islamic expansion, to the crusades, whose historical content was the continuation of the process of convergence between the West and East.

The revolutionary stage of the sixth epochal cycle is connected with the crisis of development of the early-feudalist state formations or, as the history of Byzantine and Chinese states showed, with the overexertion of forces in the foregoing periods of unsuccessful wars for a regional hegemony. 618-906 AD – the dynasty of T’ang. The struggle against nomads. Peru: the state of Chimu. The involutionary stage is connected with large Arabic invasions: 638 AD – Jerusalem is captured. The Persians are defeated. 643 AD – Cairo is founded. 661 – 750 AD – the Caliphate of Omeyads. The struggle between the Shiah (the followers of Ali) and the Sunni. 714 AD – the Arabs reached the Pyrenees (in 732, Carolus Martellus stopped them). 711 AD – India: Arabs captured Multan, the center of Hinduism. 751 AD – the victory of Arabs over the Chinese near the Talas river. 726-843 AD – the iconoclastism in the Byzantine Empire.

The co-evolutionary stage of the sixth epochal cycle is characterized by the strengthening of states, belonging to the advance-guard in various regions. 863 AD – Cyril and Methodius – the Cyrillic alphabet. 768-814 AD – Carolus Magnus – the king of Franks, since 800 AD – the emperor. Normanns campaigns. 862 AD – Rurik in Novgorod, 879-912 AD – Oleg in Kiev. 803-814 AD – the Bulgarian Khan Krum. 829 AD – the unification of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms (Britain). 843 AD – Ludwig the German. 877-889 AD – Cambodia: the Empire of Angkor (Buddhism). 988 AD – Rus introduced the Byzantine Christianity. 966 AD – Poland introduced the Latin Christianity. France: 987-1328 AD – the Capetian dynasty. Germany: 919-1024 AD – the Saxon dynasty: the struggle for domination over Italy. North America: sources of the Maya civilization. 1054 AD – the split of the Orthodox and the Catholic. 1049 AD – Kiev – Illarion «The Word on the Law and Welfare». 1097 AD – the meeting of princes in Lubech: «Let Everyone Keep One’s Own Domain».

The evolutionary stage of the sixth epochal cycle is characterized with the important changes. The cities were becoming more powerful in Western Europe. Their economic life made competition to the traditional agricultural production. The first universities, the centers of free thinking that stimulated the Reformation, begin to appear. The war for power between the civil and church feudalists was becoming more intense. China: 1069-1086 AD – the reforms of Van Anshi; the substitution of working off by taxation, the administrative regulation of prices. Japan: the strengthening of samurai. 1068-1167 AD – the period of «insei». The spiritual content: 1048-1112 AD – Omar Khayyam. 1079-1142 AD – Pierre Abelard. 1096-1270 AD – the crusades for the deliverance of the Holy Sepulchre. Despite the defeat of the West, the crusades became, in fact, «a repetition» for future colonial seizures.

Approximate chronological frames of the seventh epochal cycle can be started from the 13th century – the period of the early Italian Renaissance (in fact, it was the revolutionary stage of the «return» to the best antique traditions) to the times of the struggle of the United States for independence (1774) and the Great French Revolution (1789-1794).

The involutionary stage of that cycle is connected with the period of the Reformation of the Catholic Church, which promoted the origin of the «spirit» of capitalism. The contrasts between the «unique» West-European values and the «universal» Asian values became more apparent since that moment.

The co-evolutionary stage of the seventh epochal cycle is identified with the period of the Great geographic discoveries and the beginning of colonial seizures. The leaders in conducting the successful bourgeois revolutions – England and the Netherlands – became the organizers of these seizures. The emergence of the actually global colonial system influenced both the rhythms of the cycles of development of dependent countries and the development of colonial states themselves. The North-American United States were the first to have gained independence.

The eighth epochal cycle. Having appeared in the bosom of the global evolutionary tendencies of development, the French revolution (1789-1794) «opened» the prospect to new tendencies of the global social development that, apparently, could be connected with the notion of «modernism». As a new global tendency, it had its influence on the course of world processes by crossing the borders of a phenomenon of the purely national French history. Generating the ideals of liberty, egality, and fraternity, it was more and more apparently becoming the inheritance of the whole Europe and, with a growth of this tendency, becoming impregnate with new cultural traditions – the inheritance of the world. Its influence gave its shoots in Europe (revolutions of 1830, 1848-1849), in Russia (the revolt of the Decembrists in 1825 and the revolutions of 1905, 1917), in Japan (Meiji revolution of 1868), in China (The Sin-Hai revolution of 1911 and the revolution of 1949). In Latin America, this period comprises the time since the struggle for independence under the guidance of Simon Bolivar (19th century) to the revolution in Cuba (1959) and Nicaragua (1979). In Africa, this period began only since the time of the collapse of the colonial system (1960’s).

The involutionary period of the eighth epochal cycle may be referred to the latter half of the 19th – the first half of the 20th century. Its main content is the gradual transition from the industrial to post-industrial civilization. It is connected with the formalization of the structure of the classic bourgeois society (the revolutions of 1848-1849) and the corresponding development of industry and free market. Monopolies appeared which sharpened the struggle for the sales and raw materials markets between the leading imperialistic states between the First and Second World Wars, which are viewed more and more often as two stages of one world war.

The co-evolutionary transition of the eighth epochal cycle is «opened» by the events of the Great Depression (1929-1933) which received the second breath in the period of the 1980’s and 1990’s, by giving universal and irreversible character to the tendencies. The most important events of the period were as follows: the end of the «cold war» that marked the end of the opposition of two superpowers – the USA and the USSR; the Gulf war as the result of the call of Iraq, the regional leader, to the coalition of the leading world states under guidance of the USA; the symbolic fall of the Berlin Wall and the unification of Germany (1989), the disintegration of the USSR (1990-1991) and the creation of new independent states. These events radically changed the geostrategic situation in the world. Whereas the UN Organization had only 51 member-states at the moment of its creation (1949), 185 ones enter it as of December 1994.

The dawn of the post-industrial civilization, related to a tremendous growth of informational technologies and genetic engineering and to the time named «post-modernism» by social philosophers, is only developing in the bosom of the eighth epochal cycle but will become the overall tendency in the new XXI century.

Of more complexity is the task of creating the hypothetical schemes of periodization of a change of epochal cycles for separate regions and specific countries.

CHAPTER 7

Regional-continental (medi) level
of analisys of the historical development

Here, we present a scheme of periodization of epochal cycles for specific regions.

The approach to defining the corresponding territories can be developed on the basis of criteria of the cultural-civilizational approach or geopolitic determinants. We recall the scheme of classification of civilizations, given by Toynbee[57].

1. Blossomed civilizations.

1.1. Independent civilizations.

1.1.1. Separated.

1.1.1.1. Meso-American (Mayan and Mexican).

1.1.1.2. Andean.

1.1.2. Independent nonseparated.

1.1.2.1. Sumer-Akkadian (united Sumerian, Hittite, and Baby­lonian).

1.1.2.2. Egyptian.

1.1.2.3. Aegean (Minoan).

1.1.2.4. Indus-based.

1.1.2.5. Chinese (the ancient Chinese and the principal Far Eastern).

1.1.3. Son-kindred, the first group.

1.1.3.1. Syrian (from the Sumer-Akkadian, Egyptian and Aegean).

1.1.3.2. Hellenic (from Aegean).

1.1.3.3. Indian (from Indus-based).

1.1.4. Son-kindred, the second group.

1.1.4.1. Orthodox – Christian.

1.1.4.2. Western.

1.1.4.3. Islamic (all from the Syrian and Hellenic).

1.2. Satellite Civilizations.

1.2.1. Mexican (from Meso-American).

1.2.2. Pre-Columbian: in the south-west of North America (from Meso-American).

1.2.3. The Northern Andean (Colombia, Ecuador).

1.2.4. The Southern Andean (Chile, Argentina).

1.2.5. Elamic (from Sumer-Akkadian).

1.2.6. Hittite (from Sumer-Akkadian).

1.2.7. Urartu (from Sumer-Akkadian).

1.2.8. Iranian (from Sumer-Akkadian, then – Syrian).

1.2.9. Korean (from Chinese).

1.2.10. Japanese (from Chinese).

1.2.11. Vietnamese (from Chinese).

1.2.12. Italian (from Hellenic).

1.2.13. South-Eastern Asian (from Indian, later from Islamic in Indonesia and Malaysia).

1.2.14. Tibetan.

2. Undeveloped Civilizations.

2.1. The first Syrian (absorbed by the Egyptian).

2.2. The Nestorian Christian (absorbed by the Islamic).

2.3. Monophysite Christian (absorbed by the Islamic).

2.4. The Far West Christian (absorbed by the Western).

2.5. The Cosmos of the Mediaeval City-State (absorbed by the Western).

3. Frozen Civilizations.

3.1. Eskimoan.

3.2. Nomadic.

3.3. Ottoman.

3.4. Spartan.

The development of the civilizational approach to the historical analysis is connected with the theory of «clash of civilizations», which is popular now. The American politologist Samuel Huntington argued this thesis by that the differences between civilizations were formed for centuries. Therefore, this differentiation is more fundamental and stable than differences between ideologies and classes and is subjected to variations less of all. That is why, the conflicts of the 21st century will shift from political and ideological borders to the lines of contact of civilizations.

The contemporary picture of civilizations is identified, first of all, with the main world religions – Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. The mentioned spiritual systems spread to the whole continents, exerting their influence upon the past, the present, and the future of these megaterritories.

The following cultural regions may be distinguished in the process of research of the history of the world’s culture: Arabian – Muslim, Far Eastern, Indian, African (including the regions of West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, and South Africa), Latin-American, European and North American[58].

The differentiation of territories, which are under control of the naval or land forces, and marginal coastal areas is traditional for geopolitics. In the global context, the attention is focused at the level of separate continents.

In our opinion, the continental-civilizational approach will be the most optimal when researching the process of change of epochal cycles at the regional level. This approach is one of the grounds for the sample of separate countries, whose history will appear in the context of our research.

The first (the most unique from the standpoint of saturation with historical events, the population, and the presence of all three world religions) continent is Eurasia, consisting, from geographical point of view, of the western «peninsula» Europe (from the Atlantic to the Urals), West, Central, and South-East Asia.

The second object of our analysis will be America (North, Central, South). The dominant religion on the continent is the Christianity in the Catholic or Protestant interpretation.

The third continent – Africa (West, Central, East, and South). «The Black Continent» from the standpoint of religion is presented by the symbiosis of Islam, heathen beliefs, and Christianity.

And, finally, we analyze Australia in the context of our research. Christianity, Islam (a part of the immigrants from Asia), and the beliefs of native Aborigines are presented there. Thus, only Antarctica, «terra incognita» is out of the research. The chronological scale will remain the same – from 3000 BC to 2000 AD.

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