The World is entering the New Middle Ages
” …..the wheel of history is turning and will keep on turning until complete victory of Communism”
The well-known saying of the Bulgarian “first teacher and leader” Georgi Dimitrov is taken out of its context for the occasion. However, I am starting with it, for it captures summarized attitude of men towards the history of mankind. That could be generalized in two approaches.
First one: Judaic – Christian: oversees evolution of humanity as a straight line. There are periods of progress and retrogression, but the direction always stays the same: straight forward and up. That philosophy is officially adopted by the Western World. Mankind evolves slowly and gradually, walking from primitive to modern days. Depending on who possesses the main means of production, history is divided into different stages, that we, at school referred to as “order” - “Slavery”, “Pheudal”, “Capitalism” etc, up to modern days.
But a moment occurred, when history had to come to its end. According to Marxists - with Victory of Communism. Western analysists did not believe in it, but still presumed there is an ending. Therefore to them the end of Cold War marked the end of history.
The other approach: the Eastern, Indian - Chinese, regards life as a geometry figure – namely a circle. According to its philosophy mankind does not ever evolve, it goes round in circles, repetitively in different periods of time. That is the way night is overtaken by day, winter by summer, and why not history in general?
Probably the truth is somewhere in the middle. Should we proceed in the logic of geometrical figures next comes the spiral.
It is simultaneously a straight line and a circle, according to the point of view.
Is it possible that mankind evolves in a spiral, like a spring? That would stand for habitual repeating of events at diverse periods, though at a completely different technical level. In that logic of thinking, we have to revise history, looking for facts, identical to contemporary events. If theory of “history spiral” is correct, somewhere right under us, one stage down, there has to have something similar. And if we understand “where we are now”, we can predict what future would bring us.I assume we live in Contemporary Antiquity.
Many of the things we are used to in our routine have always been there and then. Cement and Ice-cream, Sport and Spectacles, Marathon and Olympiads, blocks of flats and roads, water mains and central heating, public baths and toilets, cosmetics and linen clothing.
Ancient world has also been Global on its own, one “global village”, but Roman. Same country, same laws, same moral, same language. And one Capitola hill, where global decisions had been taken.
Everything begins from a country, where relative peace brings relative prosperity. Freedom of speech and freedom of thought is a fact. Theater is at high level, thinkers and philosophers dispute the constitution of human mankind. In the argument the truth about the ideal country is perceived as a republic, governed by peaceful means.
The country I am describing is ancient Hellas and France at the same time. What happens to Athens of Pericles, V-IV century BC, strongly resembles France of Lui XIV, XVII century AC.
Not long after that period of enlightment, the country is subdued by a statesman, excellent commander (Alexander or Napoleon). He adorns himself in signs of a king and goes to conquer the rest of the world. Almost succeeds. After his death, the territories conquered by him fall into multitude of small countries, but something more powerful than guns remain. Culture and language. Even though foreigners in their own countries, Alexander from Macedonia and Napoleon from Corsica, make considerable contribution to popularizing the culture of the country, and towards civilization in general.
After Alexander the world is “Hellenized”, after Napoleon Europe is French in spirit. Knowledge and use of those languages - Greek and French- is the defining reqisite of a civilized man.
To proceed in the logic of parallels, we have to mention ancient Persia. With its fiery religious rituals it resembles Middle Ages catholic Spain where “auto da fé” is regarded as purifying through fire in the name of God.
One of the provinces (of Persia or Spain), had been incredibly developed economically. People in that sea region had been excellent merchants and sailors, art and culture connoisseurs. They do succeed in building enormous ships, and guided by merchant and discovery motives go on faraway voyages. Even establish own colonies in the lands beyond sea.
That province is called Finicky or Netherlands, and their colonies - Cartagena and New York.
Gradually new cities become more powerful than the decaying Metropolis. But then, again, are conquered by the new rulers of the world, Romans or British.
True, classical antiquity is related to Rome.
It is namely Rome that globalizes the world and transforms it into a “Pax Romana”. Romans have not been as cultured as Greeks, but are more efficient at times of war. Their society is better organized, therefore their success. Similar is the ratio between the culture of Mays and the empire of Atzteks, as well as that of England and France.
Roman upheaval commences with the defeat of Finks colony Cartagena, same as British victory over The Netherlands after defeating Spanish “Great Armada”
Rome vanquishes Greece. Great Britain defeats Napoleon.
Caesuras conquers ancient Egypt; Great Britain places India as a pearl in its crown.
A new world empire emerges, found on the basis of solid laws, powerful army, and numerous marine. Sun never sets, roads are built over the world. The world becomes one and unified, though with accent, everyone speaks English and Latin. Nothing left to conquer, seemingly history is about to stop.
Gradually the capital Rome or London starts to decay, unlike one of its promising colonies.
Visanthion becomes Constantinopolois and transforms into the new capital of the world. Thus, in a natural, peaceful manner the baton of the new world championship is passed on to America. The promising British colony is independent, yet keeping the language and culture.
In any way global world, at ancient and modern times is single-poled.
That is where we are at present.
At the end of Antiquity and the start of the new Middle ages.
How does Antiquity wind up?
With the Great Migration of Peoples.
Millions of fugitive immigrants are set to flee by overnatality, lack of food and prospective. Discontent with their miserable lifestyle, they run to the First World and destroy it through their ignorance. Lack of knowledge empowers them; body hygiene is postponed for centuries after.
The Empire makes an effort to defend itself by building a gigantic wall along its boundaries. Roman border bank can still be seen and soon we are about to witness the boundary wall between USA and Mexico. As a result of the uncontrollable pressure on behalf of barbarians, the World alters immensely. The Empire cannot protect its boundaries anymore and is inhabited by new nations. Old inhabitants are killed, set to flee, assimilated. The only reminiscences of their existence remain the names of the territories they inhabited.
Gallia, Iberia, Illyria, Tracie, Mizia, Dacia, Macedonia, Vitinia, Cappadocia, Lidia, Midis, Scotia, Pannonia.
Presently they are just geographical names, not states. The countries, having kept their names have lost everything else. Greece and Egypt, Italy and Belgium, have nothing in common with the ancestors, who hade lived on those territories at ancient times.
The very Empire undergoes a serious transformation. Due to not being capable of defending its global interests it closes down in itself. Having lost its leading role in the world, it transforms into an average Middle Ages country, powerful enough to survive, though. The culture and language are altered. In Vizantia Latin is replaced by the prevailing native language - Greek. USA would face the same problem if Spanish speakers turn into majority.
What is the difference between Antiquity and Middle ages?
Same as to compare day and night.
One is light the other - dark.
While language is unique in antiquity, and the gods are many, in middle ages it is vice versa - one monotheistic religion, ruling over multilanguage nations.
Religion starts to threaten freedom of speech and thought. Humanism and pleasure of life, so typical to the previous period are forgotten until Renaissance.
Just like now, in antiquity there has been a cult to beauty, including that of human body.
At middle ages there is a cult to the icons.
At ancient times man has been the measure for everything, at middle ages it is God. Anyone who does not believe, or does not worship the same way, is else-thinking and an eretician. He would perish on the stake.
Pope Bogomil, Jan Hus or Giordano Bruno are the eminent names we know, but how many are those we are not aware of having existed? Epicureism is regarded as home alcoholism, Seneca as a cynic, maybe because of being too rude.
Ancient building of aqueducts is replaced by building temples for praying. Today water mains will follow the fate of aqueducts, and Wembley stadium - that of the Roman Coliseum.
If that theory of the spiral of history proves to be true, that means mankind living two alternate époques.
“Humanism” - man is the center of all. Knowledge is a cult, and there is a leap in science and discovery.
Theology is the other one - everything circles round religion. Old libraries are burnt down, knowledge is forgotten.
Literacy has gone down to just two percent. Medicine, engineering, astronomy, mathematics fall into decay. Population moves to mountains from the fields, fortresses take the place of sea villas.
If that is all true, what to hope of?
Two things:
One is the coming of a new Renaissance.
Second - that this is all theory - it might not be true.
Who knows?
Antony De La Rea
translated by Dobromira Bozukova