Edward Gibbon was and English historian and a member of Parliament. His most important work is the History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Gibbon) Arnold J. Toynbee was a British historian and also a member of Parliament. His analysis of history is called A Study of History.( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_J._Toynbee)
Gibbon looks highly upon Rome, by pointing out many of its good qualities. He referred to various places being, "successfully broken by the iron monarchy of Rome." He said that the decline of Rome was an inevitable effect of greatness. He believed that Rome yielded to the pressure of its own weight. Gibbon also says that inside of asking why it fell, we should instead be thinking about how Rome lasted so long. (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/gibbon-fall.html)
Toynbee, on the other hand, had a different side of view. Toynbee believes that Christianity rose as the empire sank, and the rise of Christianity was the fall of civilizations. He says the life of the civilization had already destroyed itself by turning itself into an idol to which people worshiped. The rise of the philosophies was a consequence. Toynbee believed that, "Civilizations arose in response to some set of challenges of extreme difficulty, when 'creative minorities' devised solutions that reoriented their entire society. " (http://www.myriobiblos.gr/texts/english/toynbee.html) Both Toynbee and Gibbon had very interesting views.
Web. 17 Mar. 2010. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/gibbon-fall.html>.
Web. 17 Mar. 2010. <http://www.myriobiblos.gr/texts/english/toynbee.html>.
Wikipedia. Web. 17 Mar. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Gibbon>.
Wikipedia. Web. 17 Mar. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_J._Toynbee>.
Picture Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Edward_Emily_Gibbon.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ArnoldToynbee1961.jpg
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