▁Roman - G erman ▁civil ization ▁was ▁in ▁decl ine , ▁while ▁the ▁S lav ▁civil ization ▁was ▁approaching ▁its ▁Golden ▁Age . ▁A ▁similar ▁theory ▁was ▁put ▁forward ▁by ▁O sw ald ▁Sp eng ler ▁( 1 8 8 0 – 1 9 3 6 ) ▁who ▁in ▁his ▁Der ▁Unter gang ▁des ▁Ab end land es ▁( 1 9 1 8 ) ▁also ▁argued ▁that ▁the ▁Western ▁civil ization ▁had ▁entered ▁its ▁final ▁phase ▁of ▁development ▁and ▁its ▁decl ine ▁was ▁in ev itable . ▁ ▁The ▁first ▁social ▁cycle ▁theory ▁in ▁soci ology ▁was ▁created ▁by ▁Italian ▁soci ologist ▁and ▁econom ist ▁Vil fred o ▁P are to ▁( 1 8 4 8 – 1 9 2 3 ) ▁in ▁his ▁Tr att ato ▁di ▁Soci ologia ▁Gener ale ▁( 1 9 1 6 ). ▁He ▁centered ▁his ▁theory ▁on ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁an ▁el ite ▁social ▁class , ▁which ▁he ▁divided ▁into ▁c unning ▁' fox es ' ▁and ▁violent ▁' l ions '. ▁In ▁his ▁view ▁of ▁society , ▁the ▁power ▁constantly ▁passes ▁from ▁the ▁' fox es ' ▁to ▁the ▁' l ions ' ▁and ▁vice ▁vers a . ▁ ▁Soci ological ▁cycle ▁theory ▁was ▁also ▁developed ▁by ▁Pit ir im ▁A . ▁Sor ok in ▁( 1 8 8 9 – 1 9 6 8 ) ▁in ▁his ▁Social ▁and ▁Cultural ▁Dynam ics ▁( 1 9 3 7 , ▁ 1 9 4 3 ). ▁He ▁class ified ▁soci eties ▁according ▁to ▁their ▁' c ult