The Decline of the West
Spengler's book "The Decline of the West", which gave declinism its popular name, was released in the aftermath of the First World War and captured the pessimistic spirit of the times. Spengler wrote that history had seen the rise and fall of several "civilizations" (including the Egyptian, the Classical, the Chinese and the Mesoamerican). He claimed these go in cycles, typically spanning 1,000 years. Spengler believed that not only is Western civilization in decline, but that decline is inevitable.