▁Dan ile v sky ▁and ▁F y odor ▁D osto ye v sky ▁before ▁him , ▁he ▁was ▁ill ▁at ▁ease ▁with ▁the ▁Western ▁consumer ▁society ▁and ▁the ▁cult ▁of ▁material ▁prosper ity . ▁Le ont iev ▁regarded ▁traditional ▁Russian ▁By z antin ism ▁as ▁a ▁bless ing ▁and ▁a ▁strong ▁ant id ote ▁against ▁further ▁liberal isation ▁of ▁the ▁country ' s ▁society . ▁His ▁a est h etic ▁and ▁political ▁theories ▁had ▁some ▁similar ities ▁to ▁those ▁of ▁Friedrich ▁N iet z sche ▁and ▁O sw ald ▁Sp eng ler . ▁Pre ced ing ▁the ▁latter ' s ▁theory ▁of ▁the ▁cy clic al ▁nature ▁of ▁civil izations ▁and ▁The ▁Dec line ▁of ▁the ▁West ▁by ▁several ▁dec ades , ▁Le ont iev ▁proposed ▁that ▁all ▁soci eties ▁under go ▁a ▁state ▁of ▁flow ering ▁and ▁increasing ▁complexity ▁followed ▁by ▁one ▁of ▁" second ary ▁simpl ification ", ▁decay ▁and , ▁ultimately , ▁death . ▁Le ont iev ▁felt ▁that ▁the ▁West ▁had ▁reached ▁the ▁beginning ▁of ▁secondary ▁simpl ification . ▁ ▁A ▁p ess im ist , ▁Le ont iev ▁made ▁several ▁predictions ▁that ▁turned ▁out ▁to ▁come ▁true . ▁He ▁proph es ied ▁that ▁in ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century , ▁there ▁would ▁be ▁a ▁blo ody ▁revolution ▁in ▁Russia ▁led ▁by ▁an ▁" anti - Christ " ▁that ▁would ▁be ▁social ist ▁and ▁ty ran n ical ▁in ▁nature ▁and ▁whose ▁r ul ers ▁would ▁w ield ▁even ▁more ▁power ▁than ▁their ▁ts ar ist ▁prede cess