Toynbee

COMMON NAME: Arnold Toynbee

NAME: Toynbee, Arnold Joseph

NICKNAME/ALIAS: none

DATE OF BIRTH: April 14, 1889

PLACE OF BIRTH: London, England

DATE OF DEATH: October 22, 1975

PLACE OF DEATH: York, North Yorkshire, England

DISCIPLINE: Historian

FIELD: Philosophy of history

ASSESSMENT: Though criticized by fellow historian for his Christianizing, his work was regarded as a lively alternative to the specialist trend in historical research.

LANGUAGES: English

EDUCATION:  Oxford; British Archeological School at Athens, Greece; Balliol College, Oxford.

ACHIEVEMENTS: A prolific writer especially between 1934 and 1948; Balliol Fellow in Ancient History from 1912; Professor of International History at University of London beginning in 1925; retired from London School of Economics in 1956.

WORKS: The Western Question in Greece and Turkey, 1922; A Study of History (12 volumes) from 1934 to 1961; Civilization on Trial, 1948; Hellenism: The History of a Civilization 1959.

PARENTS: Harry Valpy Toynbee and Sarah Edith Marshall who were married in 1887.

SPOUSE:  1) Rosalind Murray; divorced in 1945.  2) Veronica M. Boulter.

SIBLINGS: Jocelyn, born 1897; Margaret, born 1900.

CHILDREN: Tony, Theodore Philip, and Lawrence.

LIFE AND TIMES/DETAILS:

Arnold Joseph Toynbee is sometimes confused with his uncle Arnold Marshall Toynbee, an economist and social reformer after whom he was named.   

At Oxford University, where he became friends with < a pal of> Gilbert Murray*  among others, Toynbee excelled in his studies of Greek, Latin, German history, literature and antiquities.  He did not do well in mathematics. His father went mad and was institutionalized the same year that his Uncle Harry, with whom his family had lived for most of his life, died.  He traveled to Greece and Italy and studied at the British Archeological School in Athens, Greece.

When he returned to England, he continued his interest in Classical history. He met a tutor at Balliol, Cyril Bailey, who invited him to apply to study there, since the college was considered the best place to prepare for a career in government. When an opening occurred at Balliol, Toynbee  became an instructor,  then tutored and then married Rosalind Murray, sister of his friend Gilbert.

During World War I he was an Intelligence Officer with the British Foreign Office, beginning in 1915.   He then became Professor of Modern Greek and Byzantine History at King's College, London (1919-1924).  From 1921 through 1922 he was correspondent for the newspaper, Manchester Guardian, where he reported on the Greco-Turkish War. It was during this time that he wrote The Western Question in Greece and Turkey, published in 1922.

Toynbee was strongly influenced by his reading of <influenced by> Spengler*'s Decline of the West.   When he returned to civilian life, Toynbee began work on the massive twelve-volume work, A Study of History.  He was interested in civilizations, which he felt went through the stages of  “rise, growth, decline and death.” 

He divided world history into 26 civilizations. He saw in these civilizations repeating patterns in which “similar challenges were met with similar responses.”    His prime conclusion was that “civilizations rose by responding successfully to the challenges under the leadership of creative minorities” [within the community] which were “composed of elite leaders.” 

He believed that the key to life lay in the process of challenge and response. Challenges could be physical (a swamp or desert), or such things as over-population, the exhaustion of materials, a climatic change, or the characteristics of neighbors and their challenges.  Toynbee felt that these challenges bring out the true character of a people.

During its vigorous period, he felt, a civilization maintained a powerful  “primal vision.”   But when the vision weakened and began to show a lack of a creative response, challenges brought trouble and difficulties.  The civilization “sank owing to the sins of nationalism, militarism, and the tyranny of the despotic minority.”

After World War II, Toynbee’s beliefs changed and he became more aware of the importance of spiritual forces,  focusing on higher religions as the most influential factor in history. 

Other historians criticized his work.  They felt his belief (that “myths and metaphors were of comparable value and importance as factual data”) was not acceptable. One critic stated that Toynbee “relies too much on a view of religion as a regenerative force.” According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “his conclusions were those of a Christian moralist rather than those of an historian.”

During this time he employed Veronica Boulter as a secretarial assistant.  She became a “full-fledge collaborator” on Survey of International Affairs.  Toynbee divorced his first wife and married Veronica.  He continued teaching and writing, as well as serving on various committees and commissions, and in intelligence work.

From 1925 to 1955 Toynbee served as a research professor at the Royal Institute of International Affairs,  working with Gilbert Murray. Another friend was < a pal of> Trevor-Roper*, Regis Professor of Modern History at Oxford University from 1957 until 1980.   During this time,  Toynbee said of the United States: “America is a large, friendly dog in a very small room. Every time it wags its tail it knocks over a chair.”

Toynbee spent his mornings writing at home, afternoons at the Royal Institute of International Affairs as Director of Studies, and his weekends reading.   His death,  due to complications following a stroke, was sudden and unexpected. His lectureship at Balliol went to the economist and colleague <was succeeded by> Alfred Marshall*.

OTHER CONNECTIONS: None

ONELINER: Arnold Toynbee, philosopher of history

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

“Arnold Toynbee: Challenge and Response.”  Center for Cooperative Individualism. No date given. Sept. 6, 2003.

Kunitz, Stanley J. ed. “Toynbee, Arnold Joseph.” Twentieth Century Authors. Supplement 1. H.W. Wilson. 1995.

Martin, P.W., Toynbee: Experiment in Depth: A Study of the Work of Jung, Eliot, and Toynbee, Routledge and Kegan Paul. London: 1995, 1967.

McNeill, William. H., Arnold J. Toynbee: A Life, New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.