Rhodes:* see Endnote 68

Rhodes was fantastically successful in S Africa.  Spengler quotes Rhodes as having said “expansion is everything”.  This is illustrated in maps and the manner in which Rhodes was viewed by the public.

 

“historical form”:

Spengler here refers to “phenomena showing deceptively similarity but inwardly without any connections” and with this he gives the reader 3 false analogies.  See below.

 

Charlemagne and Haroun al Rhaschid:

(742-814 AD) or Charles the Great, King of the Franks & Lombards; in 800 crowned by Pope Leo III first Emperor of the Romans- first recognised emperor in western Europe since the fall of Rome; this initiated the Holy Roman Empire; he united Western Europe for the first time since the Roman Empire.  He sparked the Carolingian Renaissance, a period of energetic cultural & intellectual activity in the Church; his expanded Frankish state is called the Carolingian Empire.

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(766-809 AD) 5th Abbasid Caliph from 786 to 809, peak of the Islamic Golden Age, marked by scientific, cultural & religious prosperity & the flourishing of Islamic art & music; established the legendary library "House of Wisdom" in Baghdad which became a center of knowledge, culture and trade. However his reign initiated political disintegration.  Syria & Egypt saw uprisings against the Abbasids; regional princes (in Spain, Morocco, Tunisia) grew increasingly independent & could not be controlled.  By dividing the caliphate's holdings between his 2 sons, he set the opposing parties against each other & provided them with sufficient resources to become independent and dismember the caliphate.

 

[while chronologically parallel Charlemagne reigned during the Spring of the West, the West was still becoming; in contrast, Haroun al Rhaschid ruled during the Winter of the Magian culture, while it was nearing its end.]

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Alexander and Caesar:

see page 4 and page 8

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[Alexander and Caesar were both of the same Culture-Classical, and both  military geniuses and conquerors, but whereas Alexander was active during the late period of the Culture (Summer) Caesar was active during the late Civilization stage- winter- hence they are not analogous.]

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German wars upon Rome and Mongol onslaught of Western Europe:

a series of wars between the Romans & various Germanic tribes between 113 BC and 596 AD; their nature varied, sometimes Roman conquests, other times Germanic uprisings and later, Germanic invasions of the Empire itself; in the 5th century AD, a series of conflicts (beginning under the  Western Roman Emperor Honorius), led to the ultimate downfall of the Western Roman Empire.

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13th century invasion by the Mongol Empire via the East Slavic principalities, Kiev and Vladimir; additional invasions occurred in Central Europe, Poland & Hungary; planned & led by the grandsons of Genghis Khan.  The conquests brought much European territory into the empire of the Golden Horde. Warring European princes realized they had to cooperate in the face of this threat; local wars & conflicts were suspended.  In Croatia, Austria and Bulgaria Mongol forces were defeated; in 1241 the horde withdrew, reasons unknown.

 

[although both movements pitted migratory barbarians against higher cultures, the German invasions occurred against a Classical Civilization in its Winter; the Mongol invasion were made against the West Culture while in its Spring]