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Toynbee, a prolific author, was the nephew of a great economic historian, Arnold Toynbee, with whom he is sometimes confused. Born in London, Arnold J was educated at Winchester College and Balliol College, Oxford. He worked for the Foreign Office during both World War I and World War II. He was Director of Studies at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (1925-1955) and Research Professor of International History at the University of London.
The theory elaborated in A Study of History was of challenge-response as applied to a civilization, taken as unit. It has not perhaps proved of great influence on other historians; it certainly was taken up, for example by Curtius, as a sort of paradigm in the post-war period. The ideas he promoted had some vogue (he appeared on the Cover of Time magazine in 1947). Toynbee was probably most influential in relation to Asian thinkers. A few of his terms, such as successor state, and to a lesser extent external proletariat, are found in other authors.
His theory was criticized in that it emphasizes religion over other aspects in the big pictures of civilizations. This is very similar to the present day theory of [[Clash_of_Civilizations|Clash of Civilizations ]] put forward by Samuel Huntington. It is also quite odd (in an eery way too) that both Huntington and Toynbee had some influence of foreign policy, and on the policy makers as well.
It is assumed that Arnold J is the Toynbee referred to on the Toynbee tiles. His ideas also features in the Ray Bradbury short story named The Toynbee Convector.
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