Spengler, << SPEHNG gluhr, >> Oswald (1880-1936), was a German philosopher of history. In The Decline of the West (1918-1922), he held that the key to history is the law of societies and civilizations, which rise and fall in cycles. By studying developments in science and the arts as well as other aspects of history, he concluded that Western civilization was in a period of decay (see Civilization (Rise and fall) ). Spengler was born in Blankenburg, near Braunschweig.
