Oswald Spengler

German historian and philosopher Oswald Spengler studied at the universities of Munich, Berlin, and Halle. Although originally trained in the natural sciences and mathematics, he read widely in history, philosophy, and literature. In 1918, Spengler published the first volume of his two-volume master work, The Decline of the West (1918--1922). Written during World War I, when Spengler was living in extreme poverty in Munich, the work has as its theme the rise and decline of civilization. Spengler, who believed that present occidental civilization had reached its period of decadence and was about to be conquered by the Mongolian people of Asia, revised his work in the period of despair following the war, and the 1923 edition brought him wealth and fame. Because of his dislike of "non-Aryan" peoples and his belief in the ideal of obedience to the state he was popular with the Nazis when they first sought power. But when he refused to participate in their anti-Semitic activities, he was ostracized. Although allowed to stay in Germany and to keep his property, the last years of his life were spent under the cloud of official disfavor.