An Historian’s Approach to Civilization: Arnold J. Toynbee and the Study of International Affairs in the Twentieth Century

Arnold Joseph Toynbee was an important but unorthodox observer of world politics. His international thought changed significantly over the course of the twentieth century, from the secular liberal internationalism of his youth to the syncretic religious utopianism that marked his old age. All of his works were an attempt to find a solution to the contemporary international crisis. This chapter examines Toynbee’s contribution to the study of international affairs. It examines the origins and evolution of his international thought, and the role he ascribed to civilizations and religions in the dynamics of world history. In addition, it argues that although some of his work is couched in highly personal and sometimes unclear terms, Toynbee remains a crucial figure in the public debate on world politics of his time.