In world history, there are obvious cycles. Most typically, in the case of the mainland, the dynastic cycle of the ancient dynasties, that is very direct. The rise and fall of a dynasty, to the rise of strength, to its decline and demise, is basically about 300 years. So this was very applicable in ancient empires. The ancient dynasties of the mainland basically did not escape this cycle, even the Han and Tang Dynasties. But what many people don't understand is why the West is not affected by historical cycles. You might not think of it.
The first thing that needs to be understood is that in fact, the core of the historical cycle is mainly two points, one is the widening gap between the rich and the poor; the other is the solidification of classes and the loss of development momentum. Therefore, in the early days of the ancient dynasty, the land was basically divided equally, the gap between the rich and the poor was not large, all classes worked hard and forged ahead, constantly created, and the national strength was booming.
However, from the middle stage onwards, land annexation, official corruption, especially land concentration, asset concentration, the poor can not see hope, the gap between the rich and the poor is extremely large. The various strata solidify and basically lie flat, so that the development of society and the country loses its momentum, resulting in the country no longer developing and accelerating the internal roll. Once there is a big disaster, the people at the bottom cannot survive, rise up to overthrow the country, and eventually perish, this is the whole process...
However, we have seen that the West has not gone through a historical cycle for more than 500 years in modern times, and until now. Although the social class is solidified and loses its momentum, the country will not be in turmoil and demise, so why is this? Or why is the West not affected by historical cycles? In fact, the reasons are mainly three points.
First, looting makes the outside complement the interior.
The rise of the West in modern times relies on looting, and the cost of looting is very low. Therefore, even if the country does not develop and the class is solidified, in fact, external colonization and plundering have obtained a large amount of wealth, which has greatly compensated for the internal development problems. So the historical cycle is constantly postponed, in fact, this is based on the wealth and suffering of other countries.
Second, the standards are high now.
Today's West, because of the accumulation of wealth in recent centuries, actually has a very high standard. In other words, even if the country's development is slow, the class is solidified, and the gap between the rich and the poor is large. However, the poor in the West are not poor in developing countries, and even have a lot of welfare guarantees, even if the gap between rich and poor widens, but there will be no huge resistance force, so the country can basically be stable.
Third, the predatory advantage to date.
Western countries such as the United States, Britain, France, Germany, etc., have a dominant position in science and technology and finance. So without labor, the dollar world monetary system and the science and technology patent system alone can obtain the world's income every year. That is to say, the West can still plunder the world to make up for its own domestic development problems, so it is not affected by cyclicality.
But for example, in Middle Eastern countries, African countries, Asian countries, political turmoil, and even coups, the core reason why countries are overthrown is because of the historical cycle. It is difficult for the country to develop, the people are bound to resist, and eventually turmoil and tragedy will arise. What do you readers think about this? Welcome to leave a message and discuss with the editor!
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Reference: Modern and Contemporary World History.