The Rise and Fall of Civilizations According to Polybius

Polybius’s theory of Anacyclosis suggests that all civilizations follow a predictable, cyclical life cycle where governments inevitably decay from virtuous forms into corrupted versions, such as democracy devolving into mob rule.

While he believed Rome’s unique system of checks and balances could delay this collapse by blending monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy, history eventually proved that even the most balanced empires cannot escape the fundamental patterns of human nature and political decline.