Toynbee, Arnold J.
Toynbee, Arnold J. (14 April 1889 – 22 October 1975)
Born in 1889, Toynbee was a British historian best known for his work A Study of History, which documents the rise and fall of civilizations. A Study of History compared the origin, development, and decline of civilization and concluded that the decay of civilizations was due to moral failure and a lack of creative power. He identified civilizations, not based on nation states but rather by their ethnic or religious boundaries. He also worked for the British Foreign Office, particularly in relation to events in the Middle East.
