Brooks Adams

Brooks Adams
Brooks Adams (1848–1927) was an American historian, political theorist, and member of the prominent Adams family. Known for his works on the cyclical nature of civilizations, he argued that societies inevitably decline due to economic forces. His most notable books include "The Law of Civilization and Decay" (1895), which discusses the rise and fall of civilizations, and "America's Economic Supremacy" (1900), where he predicted the rise of the U.S. as a global power. Adams' ideas reflected a pessimistic view of history, emphasizing the role of material wealth in determining the fate of nations.

Author's Books:


CHAPTER I THE COLLAPSE OF CAPITALISTIC GOVERNMENT Civilization, I apprehend, is nearly synonymous with order. However much we may differ touching such matters as the distribution of property, the domestic relations, the law of inheritance and the like, most of us, I should suppose, would agree that without order civilization, as we understand it, cannot exist. Now, although the optimist contends that,... more...

CHAPTER I I wrote this little volume more than thirty years ago, since when I have hardly opened it. Therefore I now read it almost as if it were written by another man, and I find to my relief that, on the whole, I think rather better of it than I did when I published it. Indeed, as a criticism of what were then the accepted views of Massachusetts history, as expounded by her most authoritative... more...