Аннотация: Since L. N. Gumilev"s definition of the dynamics of the integral communities, who called them ethnic groups, is quite problematic, it makes sense to use a number of examples to determine the dynamics of the integral communities by their activity.
L. N. Gumilev in his complete definition of dynamics of the integral (holistic) communities, who called them as ethnoses, had noted for them four stages of life cycle: short phase of formation, rather long phase of existence, phase of decline and phase of historical relicts. At this, the duration of full life cycle of ethnos, according to Gumilev, is 1200-1500 years [1].
Both of these considerations seem inadequate for the following reasons.
It's not even about how many thousands of years the integral community can exist - everything is finite in our world. The essence of the problem is completely different.
Each human community, being formed, for example, from the association of tribes, does not have a clearly defined order of phases, through which it must necessarily pass, as well as their number.
The community can disintegrate immediately.
It can exist in about the same state for many thousands of years and even tens of thousands of years, as, for example, the Australian aborigines.
The community can also undergo various changes for thousands of years, in particular, in the quality of the population (mixing with other nationalities): in changing the language, religion, governing bodies, subordination (external management) in different periods, but, nevertheless, to remain the same integral community, preserving cultural features, which allows it to most successfully to separate itself in the self-consciousness from animal instincts, as well as from other communities; preserving, nonetheless, many of the original customs and installations related to specific of the natural environment in which the community develops, allowing the most effective survival and contact both between the community members and with the neighbors. By this, the community does not lose the base of collectivist self-consciousness, that is, its essence and integrity (holistic).
Such communities represent undoubtedly China (Confucianism, Taoism, hierarchy, collectivism, preservation of ancient hieroglyphic writing, state seclusion, the opinion of one's own exclusiveness in the world), India (Hinduism, caste, Buddhism, the claim to the place of the founder of world civilization and the center of the world wisdom), Japan (Shinto, the homage of one's own traditions, propensity for sacrifice for the sake of the community, contempt for other cultures and nations), Wales (preservation of one's own language, customs, governing structures within another state for several thousand years).
This list could be continued, but also it is quite enough to discredit the unambiguous phase order with the frames of life cycle of ethnos of 1200-1500, offered by Gumilev in his concept of ethnogenesis though, of course, the people pass in many cases stages, similar to the periods of human life: youth, a maturity, withering, but development of communities it is not identical to a human life, because the heterogeneous populations move, mix, so that the processes of youth and old age to them are not applicable uniquely - they as if to be rejuvenated regularly.
Not all the numerous peoples, known to us from history, completely disappear. Quite often, they, within the framework of our civilization, are modified in one way or another, without losing their history, culture and customs, which is influenced by the landscape, climate, neighbors, population density, religious preferences, which accelerate or slow both the external processes, for example, the technological equipment state, and changing consciousness in its ethical and aesthetic filling. However, the decisive role in the long-term retention of the community in the state of development is being played by the content of its collectivist self-consciousness, and the community, if it relied only on strength or benefit, quickly disintegrates with the disappearance of that or another.
Gumilev also believed that development of a civilization goes by means of appearance of certain ethnoses, their disappearance, and then appearance of new ethnoses, etc., i.e. - through the replacement of some integral communities by others in our terminology.
Here he confounds the replacement of some states by others or change of one social formation by another.
How many states existed in China, and how many different peoples came to China, which was fragmented-feudal, imperial and capitalist, and now considers itself to be socialist.
Nevertheless, the Chinese community in its development has not ceased to be Chinese and has not ceased to exist for many thousands of years, as, however, and he Russian community which in the form of community of the Russian people with their customs, language with Cyrillics in a basis, national character with communal consciousness in its depth, and with the faith in the "kind" tsar, pagan inclinations, existed at first within the Moscow satrapy, and then - the Russian Empire which was replaced by the semi-feudal Soviet Union with its semi-religious (communist) slogans, coming finally to its present quasi-capitalist state, but remaining virtually unchanged in the quality of the community, which on its "Russianness", i.e. - the self-consciousness, which was being formed historically, be easily distinguished from another, as and can be distinguished from another the Chinese community.
In the same way not one thousand years there is the Jewish community, without undergoing so considerable changes in collectivist self-consciousness that is noticeable in following to traditions and religious canons, whereas externally, what only were not being happen to Jews, up to their dispersion on the world.
These examples show lack of obvious gaps in development of a world civilization which in this process is not stopped, but moves forward in own communities, though with different speed of development of these communities.
The Roman Empire was also not gone completely, but would be forked in due time on two culturally close the large communities in the form of Byzantium which successor is Russia, and Western Europe on the place of the western part of the Roman Empire. Roots of these communities are close both on language, and on customs, and on religion, despite the differences which arose in process of development, but they mostly have external character, not being as determinative, what, in particular, confirms comparison of these communities with Chinese, Muslim or Indian communities.
If to pass to dynamics of communities, then, first of all, it should be noted that the upshot of each life, concerning development of each individual consciousness, is determined by finding by a person of an optimum combination of the dissatisfaction in own self-consciousness in the form of desires, aspirations to these or those goals, and existing at him of set of opportunities and peculiarities, that should be used, from which can be exempted and by which can be neglected, as well as by the attitude to the results of one's own activity, for which will have to bear responsible.
The deviation from the optimum means that the person did not discover himself in life, more definitely, did not determine the true system of own self-consciousness in the relation to the surrounding and did not add to it new properties.
Therefore, change and development of the integral communities is necessary for development of self-consciousness of each person
It is this circumstance that does not allow the active (consciousness in a person) in beingness to stay for a long time in certain structures, in some or other conditions, in this or that order, to follow one or another necessity, the active (consciousness) always seeks to change them, but not chaotically, and purposefully, with the benefit for itself, more precisely, forming of other structures and relationships, that gives for it own changes with accumulation of the corresponding experience in this development. Similar manifestation of the active (consciousness) among the passive (things) is the primary source of liberty, and the activity in its expressions and actions in a person is unwillingness of the stops, dissatisfaction by available, aspiration to changes, to the new, i.e. - to development, other expression of oneself in this process.
Such conscious manifestation of the active is maximally possible precisely in a person because he has self-consciousness - it and gives him the fullest liberty, which any necessity cannot limit, on the contrary, necessity is a support for free expressions of a person, inasmuch only on the basis of the known order a person is capable to establish consciously other order, to reveal other regularities. But this is required not in itself, and means the accumulation of knowledge and skills for transition from one order to another and so on - sequentially - for development and expression of consciousness in the changing conditions.
Thus, only necessity, or resistance of the environment give to consciousness the chance of manifestation of the activity through thoughts, feelings and actions in the process of overcoming this resistance - birds do not fly in an airless environment: the absence of contradictions is nothingness; only in the struggle can manifest itself liberty, and thereby to occur infinite motion of consciousness forward.
Therefore, the main feature of any active (living), distinguishing it from any passive (lifeless) by the internal tension, is expressed by dissatisfaction with what is: the active creates something only in order that subsequently to destroy it. This variable vector in the form of opposite aspirations to creation and destruction points out certainly on the preference of the other (the new) over the established one.
This dissatisfaction of consciousness, its aspiration for the new are nourished by the unceasing, varying flows of information, permeating the whole being of a person, which he can interpret possessing self-consciousness, differently, - in the measure of own understanding. Thereby, each person makes inevitably every time the fluctuations - from a habit to destruction of order, release from it. Having established one and having joined it, a person begins to be tired upon it sooner or later, and decides to change it, no matter the resist to this process by the external conservative nature of a person.
This property is by all means transferred to human communities. Therefore, the course of their development represents fluctuations from creation to destruction of the arisen, and then - again to creation on a new basis.
All this motion happens thanks to action both in each person, and in his communities of dissatisfaction of consciousness, respectively - individual and collective.
Since the consciousness of a person and his communities has the two components - the lowest (natural-animal) and - the highest (self-consciousness) consciousness, insofar these two hypostases of the human consciousness participate in the development of integral communities, determining it, while various external conditions, causing dissatisfaction as the lowest, and the highest consciousness, force people in their totality to change these external conditions, up to a change in the landscape, the construction of cities, canals, roads, cut down forests, develop trade, improve the production of agricultural products, thereby provoking population growth, which in turn entails a cumulative increase in social wealth, the division of labor, strengthening of property rights and increasing of the stratification of society. And the stratification of society into the rich and poor, slaves and free, toilers and oppressors, rulers and all kinds of opposition to them, inevitably leads to an eternal struggle between them.
All this, naturally, does not pass away human consciousness - personal and collectivist, - and slowly, but still, changes it with the passage of time.
If to recognize that the living being becomes as a person thanks to emerging at it the self-consciousness, then it is clear that the level of awareness of oneself by a person of and respectively - the ratio of the self-consciousness and the lowest consciousness can strongly differ depending on time of human life, his surrounding, education, abilities, etc., although, on average, this level in the process of the civilization turn is growing and cannot but grow, albeit very slowly, so how the development of civilization means a gradual increase in the information flows capturing each person, occurring owing to activity of the same human communities occupying ever new spaces, cultural, technical and scientific fields.
Being at the beginning of the civilization way an ordinary cannibal, a person gradually begins to treat in another way the neighbors, accumulating along with knowledge the certain moral installations making life and development of communities easier, doing it more and more civilized both concerning technical-technological equipment, so and - more altruistic relation to each other, i.e. - more distancing his from the natural-animal essence.
Nevertheless, the life of people is a competitive struggle for various benefits and privileges that facilitate labor or deliver from it at all, and the means of this struggle can be different - from the most despicable actions to generous concessions and the establishment of mutually beneficial relations with own competitors.
It should also be noted that it makes sense to talk about significant progress in communities or the life of an ordinary person only if a person or all peoples of the community are not crushed by hard work for survival. And this happens only with the appearance of at least at a certain number of people of the community of some free time, which they can devote to both sensual, and intellectual occupations, that and happens to development of a civilization.
Such persons, who know really what to do in their free time has always been and will be in the overwhelming minority, because is necessary yet to know how to dispose free time, i.e., to be fruitfully active, finding oneself in creativity.
But only such people are capable to create tension both in themselves, and in society, providing its development, that is increasing the volume of information base of community. They cannot be bored. Therefore, they try to think up always something new, float to unknown lands, plunge into depths of oceans, start wars for no apparent reason, will organize religious or secular societies, but the main thing - they involve the population into these enterprises, convincingly motivating their usefulness for everyone, whereas in fact "cream" gets to the few, and, as a rule, and this "cream" not going to benefit.
Self- consciousness comprises in itself everything truly human: feelings of love, friendship, manifestation of care, fidelity to duty, honesty, conscientiousness, but these manifestations of self-consciousness are being admixed with all the time such consequences of invariable egocentrism of the lowest consciousness as envy, pride, love of power, egoism, self-interest, alienation, etc.
If to return to a source of formation and development of integral communities, then the following should be noted.
Dissatisfaction is a fundamental property, rather even - state of the active in alive which owing to permanent stay in it cannot stop - otherwise it will not be active any more, and will become as a thing, - therefore a person creates something only to destroy created, - it is unimportant what it belongs to, but in this process of creation-destruction the quality of the created consciously on average becomes higher - there is a high-quality change of the environment, the relations, communications, understanding, i.e. such interaction of consciousness in a person with surroundings conducts in general to the increase of the level of self-consciousness that we also observe, looking on itself inside our civilization. This variable vector in the form of opposite aspirations to conscious creation and destruction, so, indicates by all means preference of other, the new over the existing, and so will be until the civilization with all its communities disappears.
However, consciousness of a person is non-uniform - in it the lowest (animal) form of consciousness acts, and - the highest (self-consciousness). Each of these entities possesses own dissatisfaction, corresponding to sphere of application of both types of consciousness.
The dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness always remains in accurately outlined borders of consumption of sensations, but sharply increases, demanding from the person or his community of immediate actions in the case of threat of life (the instinct of self-preservation inherent in any living being), belittling of life up to intolerant existence as well as in the case of threat to reproduction that in reality occurs during attack, adverse climate changes or a landscape, incorrect actions of the leaders, a lack of food and other factors relating to management of the organic and its preservation.
The dissatisfaction of the highest consciousness inherent only in people, and appeared in them owing to awareness of themselves in the world around, or in current time, has no borders in their self-consciousness, and tries to conduct people to the most full-fledged and harmonious life, improving the relations between them and improving the environment, but without an opportunity to overcome influence on behavior of a person of the lowest consciousness, especially since, the lowest consciousness and the highest consciousness are not separated, but are inextricably intertwined, and which entity temporarily wins is determined by the conditions of existence of consciousness carriers and the degree of their development, more precisely, by the level of their self-consciousness achieved.
Therefore, with a lack of food, unfavorable living conditions, cramped tightness on the employed territory, especially in comparison with the living conditions of neighboring communities, there is a growing dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness of a community. The lowest consciousness with all his egocentrism replacing the highest consciousness at the critical moment, dictates to both a person, and his community to begin a throw from disastrous living conditions to favorable, and it is unimportant at the expense of what or whom.
So, this dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness threw wild Huns to others, but fertile places, and in China it lifted masses of the hungry peasants, who were turned into slaves, on revolts breaking everything around, reducing in some cases the population several times.
During this action of consciousness arise and improve structurally the communities, making closer the nationalities, which have adjoined this motion, each other, or uniting the rebelling population in single impulse, which becomes rallied by the common interests, i.e., becomes a integral community.
After comparatively short-term, desperate and bloody - not always winning - events caused by the accumulated dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness, new formations can appear on the "cleared" place with improved or simply other conditions for beingness, in which will be possible to engage in organizational and structural improvement: construction, trade, create new governing bodies, improve laws, etc., i.e. there is a place for the developing actions of the highest consciousness, which restores its positions and pushes back the lowest consciousness, inasmuch it had made its work.
Now the dissatisfaction of the collectivist highest consciousness is already manifesting itself in all its beauty It sees the devastation around and begins to push the community to restructure what remained, as well as to the creation of new ties, relations and new forms of the environment. This process can drag on for centuries.
However, any community contains bureaucratic governing bodies, some imperious elite, and this top of the community has the property to focus on itself over time, neglecting the interests of the masses. If this neglect reaches the point at which the quality of life of the majority of the population in this community is reduced again up to the unacceptable level, threatening its degradation and even extinction, then the dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness of the mass of the population under the threat of the death of their own offspring, supported by informal intellectual opposition, reflecting the dissatisfaction of the highest consciousness (lack of actual civil liberties, blatant inequality, the absence of social elevators, that hinders the effective manifestation of knowledge and skills accumulated by each person, etc.), increases up to such limit, that throws a considerable part of the population, or, at least, sufficient number of his most active representatives on removal of bureaucratic elite, despite of all danger to life which already turned into torture because of unusable management, greed and degradation of the imperious elite.
Such events have taken place in Russia in February 1917, when the broad masses of the people, exhausted by the senseless war, mediocrity and helplessness of the disintegrating authorities, their isolation from the masses, had swept away the imperious top, but stopped themselves in inaction, which was used by the most extremist part of the intellectual elite, brought up on Marxist utopias. The new elite has transformed Russia (USSR) on the soil of the communal consciousness of the masses into the Asian satrapy with the Supreme infallible leader. USSR, however, achieved considerable success thanks to enthusiasm of the masses tempted with honey communistic shores; however, this chimera relatively quickly disappeared (1991), when the opposition, in view of the loss of the main goal of the community - the building of communism, has displaced the power elite at complete indifference of the masses and the lack of resistance of the power bodies.
Interestingly, there is apparent difference on action of the collectivist consciousness of a community in the turning points for the developed communities and the undeveloped communities. The last (Russia - February 1917) is dominated by the dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness - due to significant reduction in the standard of living of the population and its extermination (war), while for developed communities in which the standard of living is high enough, attitude of the population in the person of its representatives in the informal intellectual elite to an unsuitable social structure that is no longer able to contribute to the development of the community due to the loss of the previously set goals, becomes more significant (USSR - 1991).
In other words, the increasing meddling of the dissatisfaction of collectivist highest consciousness with the passage of time into the turning events means the acquisition by the community of greater liberty, so how liberty is a consequence of aspiration of consciousness to change of itself in the existence in the conditions of resistance (counteraction) to the environment. And similar increase in extent of intervention of the highest consciousness with development of community happens due to the fact that only the higher consciousness is able to change, and the lowest consciousness, which is mainly responsible for organic functions, remains practically unchanged.
Similar change of a integral community not as a result of only external influences, but at interaction of the community in the person of his collectivist highest consciousness with an external surrounding indicates decrease of entropy for it.
Extrapolating this phenomenon from usual communities, which break up sooner or later, to all civilization, it is possible to note that, in general the entropy of the terrestrial civilization decreases over time, but, only till a certain moment ((the point of singularity) in which it comes back to former level - before emergence of a civilization.
The same conclusion on other data were made by us earlier (see, for example, 2, Ch. 6).
Also, another scenario of events in community at a stage of its smooth development is possible.
Successful management of economy, bumper-crop years, unexpectedly appeared additional resources, technologies are capable to lead community to substantial increase of welfare and culture of the population in general. This circumstance in the neighbourhood with poor, undeveloped, but aggressive and militant, or just competitive communities can quite cause in them envy and desire to attack and burgle the prosperous country. If similar desire comes true, and it happens quite often, so how in prosperous countries the wellbeing leads to relaxation, then the community is again plunged into material poverty and a moral nothingness, receiving often external control.
This situation means a temporary drop in the level of the collectivist highest consciousness, which causes a certain confusion of the elite and falling of the population into a stupor. The dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness with a situation again can save this position, inasmuch it instinctively feels threat of death of community. The collectivist lowest consciousness influences the population, mobilizing from all its mass of the most active members who change unusable elite and try to redeem situation. It has success not always, but even at external management at sufficient unity of the population, high culture, invariable customs, i.e. in case of not fatal falling of level of the highest consciousness, there is high probability of exit of a community on central way of development up to new cataclysms of this kind.
Especially brightly and pure this process of the development of community is illustrated by history of China which lasts nearly four thousand years.
Similar processes went as well in Western Europe after disintegration of the Roman Empire: this is just the case when disintegration of the state is confused with death of community, whereas the accumulated - high -level of the highest consciousness of all mass of the population of the Roman Empire (culture, traditions, communication language, laws, morals, ways of government, Christian religion) has allowed not only to preserve the empire in the East (Byzantium), but also under the flag of the Papacy of the Christian church in Rome has allowed practically to restore the empire in the west of Europe with a certain competition of the states therein, having formed eventually through one and a half thousand years the present single European community of states.
In other words, the integral Western European community did not disappear anywhere, and after the periods of stagnation, wars, revolutions - various on terms, has come approximately to the same unity as in the Roman Empire, but, naturally, on higher technological and cultural basis, i.e. - at higher level of self-consciousness.
Close to this was the process of transformation of Byzantium: it as if has moved in its collectivist self-consciousness into collectivist self-consciousness of the Orthodox state of Russians, whose community is still developing. This example shows not paramount importance of the territory to the integrity and development of the community, but demonstrates the prevalence of such elements of self- consciousness of the community as culture, the foundations of language, laws, ethical norms, ways of management, communication through religion, etc.
Below are examples that illustrate the life cycle of some communities, which is different essentially from the four-phase ethnogeny proposed by Gumilev.
In turn, these examples, disproving the concept of passionarity of Gumilev [1], do not contradict the concept of development of the integral communities, offered by us on the basis of such source of development as the dissatisfaction of consciousness in both of its guises.
By itself, the historical course of development of the Chinese community as the most ancient of all current holistic communities for nearly four thousand years, if to determine all tipping point of this development, i.e. - the positions of the cardinal changes in society right up to replacement of the entire ruling elite, shows multiple of alternating relatively short periods of the catastrophic events of various type (crash of empires, coups, invasions with seizure of power by nomads, etc.) and rather long eras of gradual transfiguration of community which has not disappeared for four thousand years, having kept the bases of self-consciousness, external appearance of the residents, the territory.
In the second millennium (around the 17th century BC, in the territory of modern China in Henan, in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, as a result of association of tribes, a community called Shang with large settlements and monumental buildings was formed, and Chinese of that time had already begun using hieroglyphics.
The ruler was simultaneously a military leader, supreme priest and organizer of the economy.
The main occupation in the community was agriculture. Of great importance was also cattle breeding. The community members and the permanent employees, close in status to slaves, worked in the fields. The slaves were being delivered by the continuous wars with neighbors, but the most part of slaves was being exterminated or sacrificed. Success in wars of the community Shang (dynasty) with the population of Yin, which led to occupation of several neighboring territories, can be explained with presence of professional army with the fighting chariots at the community.
The community (the monarchy) Shang existed until XI century BC, and it was defeated in an unsuccessful war with the western tribe Zhou. The source of such significant change in relations after the long reign of Shang in this case was substantially the conservation of the collectivist self-consciousness the community Shang in comparison with rise up to the higher level of the highest consciousness of neighbor in the face the Zhou people, what is consistent with their higher organization, technologies, and at the same time - the aspiration of the Zhou people to occupy a better place for own existence, in what the dissatisfaction of their lowest consciousness clearly is traced.
The community Zhou, which basis was consisted by the population Yin, has existed till the 3rd century BC. Its territory extended, and mastering of new lands led to mixing of the population from different areas, creating thereby a prototype of the present Chinese.
In the 5th century BC, the epoch of bronze is replaced by the iron age, tools are being improved, the area of new land is growing, new irrigation facilities are being built, fertilizers are beginning to be applied, the division of labor and economic specialization of the districts are being enhanced, the quality of armaments is changing, and crafts are developing.
In connection with this, trade is expanding, and accordingly - the role of merchants and moneylenders increase.
Organizational and technological development coexists with the cultural: the main philosophical schools of China are formed - Confucianism (VI-V centuries BC), Moism (V century BC), Taoism (IV century BC).
Over time, the power of the central ruler Zhou weakened, and the power of the princes from the provinces strengthened.
Wars between rival principalities prevented the growth of trade. The unification of the country was also demanded by the threat from the nomadic Huns.
By IV century BC especially amplified the Western principality of Qing, which expanded its territory to the south and east.
In this already the Qing kingdom in IV BC reforms were carried out which significantly undermined the foundations of the patriarchal family and the rural community: the fragmentation of large families was encouraged, as and - the division of their property, besides, the purchase and sale of communal plots were allowed. Taxation sharply increased.
As a result, the army was reorganized, and the bronze weapons were replaced with iron, the war chariots were replaced by the more maneuverable cavalry.
By the middle of the 3rd century BC, the Qing kingdom has defeated all rivals, and the supreme power passed from Zhou to Qing in the face of the new emperor (huangdi) Qing Shi Huangdi (the first Qing emperor).
Thus, Zhou's kingdom was defeated by a competitor with a higher level of self-awareness. The social and technological innovations mentioned above corresponded this level of self-awareness.
Emperor Qing Shi Huangdi conducted a series of successful wars, in particular, with the Huns, began the construction of the Great Wall of China, having pushed aside for limits of the Great Wall of Huns, removed the old nobility from power, and his officials were set at the head of the provinces.
However, the land owners have been impoverished by the gradually rising costs on the army, the bureaucratic apparatus.
Cruelty of these measures has caused discontent of impoverished community members, as well as the nobility, removed from the governing of the country.
To this was added discontent with the barracks discipline, cruel punishments of the guilty, executions of Confucians who have opposed the oppression created.
Immediately after the death of Qing Shi Huangdi (end of III century BC), a mass uprising of the land owners began, to which the slaves also joined.
The most successful of the leaders of the uprising - the rural head Liu Bang - in 207 BC overthrew the last representative of the Qing dynasty, and the following year proclaimed himself Emperor, having founded a new dynasty Hang (the Old Hang Dynasty).
In this case, the accumulated dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness of all strata of the masses, which found themselves in a desperate situation being destroyed physically due to the brutal actions of the ruling bureaucracy with an extremely low level of the highest consciousness, was the main source of cardinal changes in relations in Chinese community of that time.
The beginning of government of the Hang dynasty has been characterized by reforms in favor of community members for whom the land tax was lowered. Mass executions were stopped. To power began to attract individual representatives of the hereditary aristocracy, whereas dealers and moneylenders began to be taxed with ruinous taxes.
Cruel norms and inhuman practice Qing Shi Huangdi were replaced with Confucianism relying on traditions. This ideology has survived until now.
Successful wars significantly increased the territory of China.
However, aggressive policy required enormous resources. Taxes began to be collected even from children and old people, and prices grew. Population towards the end of I century BC more and more convinced of the inability of the bureaucracy to change the situation for the better.
General discontent caused the revolt in several provinces.
The rebels dyed their eyebrows in red as a distinctive sign (the "Red Eyebrows" revolt). They captured the capital, killed the emperor-usurper, who removed from the power of the heirs of the Hang dynasty, and in 25 AD to power came again representatives of the Han dynasty (the Junior Hang dynasty).
This turning point in the history of China is the manifestation of high degree of dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness of the masses as the main source of the change in relations in the community due to the practical extermination by the ruling elite of the working population, and, at the same time, is the manifestation of the lowered level of the highest consciousness of the imperious elite.
To prevent such insurrections in the future, a reform has been carried on release a part of the slaves, it was forbidden to brand and kill them. In part, this kind of liberalism was caused by new inventions: a water mill, a water-lifting pump, blowing forging bellows. A number of improvements have also been made in agriculture.
The seizure of territories, the wars were quite successful, but the main goal - the establishment of direct contact with the Roman Empire due to the counteraction of Parthians could not be achieved.
As a result, the crisis of the commodity-money system broke out, as well as - occurred the naturalization of the economy.
The result was the ruin of the people masses - the population began to decline. All this, as well as the invasions of the barbarian tribes, caused a wide uprising of "the yellow bandages", lasting about 20 years (the end of the 2nd century AD), also the strife among the slaveholders began, the Huns came from the north.
The consequence of these events was the collapse of the Han Empire into three states in 220 AD.
The source of this turning in development of the Chinese community is simultaneously the manifestation of the accumulated dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness of masses, which was expressed in the revolt of "yellow bandages" and also - lowering of the level of the highest consciousness of the imperious elite (the internecine strife).
Besides, on these manifestations of the consciousness of the Chinese community happened the overlay of the dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness of Huns who wanted long ago, but so far unsuccessful, to move to more favorable conditions for existence at the expense of strangers (Chinese).
As some results of approximately two-thousand-year existence of community of Chinese one can note obvious progress, but not stagnation in its existence, despite all cataclysms.
Technological progress was seen in the replacement of bronze tools and weapons with iron ones. Besides, mills, pumps, new technologies for agricultural production appeared, as well as a compass, seismograph, gunpowder, paper, silk manufacturing technology, multitier buildings have been invented.
Tribal relations were replaced by a strictly hierarchical stratum state, in which, in accordance with the teachings of Confucius, the priority of patriarchal traditions and the inviolability of social principles were defended, that was beneficial to the elite of society.
As for the community's self-consciousness, then the system of communication with the help of hieroglyphs was improved greatly their number increased to 18 thousand. Along with the cult of ancestors, became widespread Confucianism, Taoism in China, having formed largely Chinese specialness, as well as Buddhism, which has penetrated from India. The number of carriers of high standard of knowledge has increased significantly due to the development of irrigation and construction.
After 220 AD long and fierce struggle began for power over China between three of its provinces (the Three Kingdoms period) which came to the end with foundation of the state Jing (226-420 AD).
However, wave-like invasions of nomad tribes from the North and occupation of all northern provinces of China by them, forced elite of society (about one million people) to run to the Southern China.
During this period of instability, the life of the Chinese became barbarous with rampant cruelty and murders. Nevertheless, the Chinese culture, influencing the invaders, was leading them to absorption by the Chinese community. Chinese also have assimilated the local residents of southern China: the decline of the Chinese community after 220 AD was replaced by the ascent. Partly, the barbarous North united with the colonized South of the country under control of new Sui dynasty (581-618 AD).
Thus, between the two turning points of the development of China - 220 AD and 581 AD - after the decline follows the ascent, i.e., the dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness of the population, provoking the outburst of passions, rebellions and decay, has been replaced by constructive actions of the highest consciousness mainly of new ruling elite of community, whose attention was largely being directed already to restore the economy.
During the reign of the Sui dynasty, a canal was being built between the Yangtze and the Yellow River, the sections of the Great Wall of China were being restored. But these enterprises require to increase the taxes. Population as a result does not withstand the burdens and raises the uprising. This means that new accumulation of dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness by the population due to the hardships, that have come again, required a certain solution.
And it has come in the form of the replace of dynasties (ruling elite).
To power has come the Tang dynasty in 618 AD who ruled till 907 AD.
The country has come to the order: agriculture, Handicrafts, artisanal production, metallurgy and shipbuilding gained further development.
An intensive construction of roads between provinces began, a progressive legal system has been formed, economic and cultural ties have been established with Japan, Persia, Korea, India, Arabia, etc., the size of cities and population increased, the territory expanded, again began to operate the Great Silk Road.
However, during the last 100 years of the reign of the Tang dynasty, conflicts begin to occur between the central authority and the governors in the provinces of China. Internecine wars begin, and only in 960 AD the central power is restored within the frame of the new empire Sung (960-1279 AD).
Thus, between two turning points of development of China - 618 AD and 960 AD - after the rise, having lasted during 200 years, has come the decline, i.e. the constructive dissatisfaction of the highest consciousness of the population has been replaced by the accruing destructive action of the lowest consciousness mainly of the ruling elite, having inspired internecine wars.
The period of government of the Sung dynasty was characteristic by the easing of military power of China that entailed the occupation of northern provinces by barbarians, but it did not interfere with the general economic and cultural blossoming of China up to the 12th century AD: the book printing was being spread, new varieties of plants were being hatched, the technology of making porcelain, silk and varnish products was being improved.
It is possible therefore to state the rise of self-consciousness of the population during this period. At this, the self-consciousness looks for a support not in military technologies, and in innovations in the field of culture and art softening mores and strengthening altruistic moods owing to what, perhaps, Chinese lost the former military ardor, and became with smaller eagerness to destroy nomads, preferring to live with them in the world at the expense of some concessions.
That is, the period between the two turning points of China's development - 960 AD and 1279 AD (at this year China fell under the power of the Mongols) - can be marked in general by a rise in the level of the higher consciousness of the population.
At the beginning of the 13th century invasion of the united Mongolian tribes began eastward, westward and again eastward - into China. By 1280 Sung empire fell, and China came under the rule of Mongols, having become part of their empire.
The development of the country has been stopped, the economy has been undermined, part of the population has been enslaved.
Such decline caused a gradual accumulation of dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness of the entire population by its disastrous existence, and the population of China has revolted in the middle of the 14th century AD.
In 1368 Mongols were expelled, and the son of the peasant Zhu Yuanzhang has taken power, having founded empire Ming.
China returned part of northern territories, organized a number of sea expeditions, came into contacts with European civilization. Thus, this process can be considered the rise period.
However, to the middle of the 17th century AD the united Manchurians attacked China in which meanwhile a peasant uprising was erupted.
As a result, in 1645 China has lost the sovereignty and became by the part of the Manchurian empire of Qing (1645-1911).
Unlike Mongols, Manchurians quickly came under the influence of Chinese culture, the emperors became Buddhists or Confucians.
China began to develop rapidly, its population increased fivefold by the mid-nineteenth century AD up to 300 million people. Geographically, the Empire was expanded, capturing the part of Central Asia.
However, in the XIX century AD began the importation of opium into China by Europeans, and accordingly - the Opium Wars, which have led to the defeat of the Qing Empire and the transformation of China into a semi-colony of Europeans.
The second half of the 19th century was taking place in China under the sign of the extensive revolts of the population, in which several tens of millions of people died, but the power elite of China has survived with the help of European powers. Some reforms were undertaken.
As a result of several wars Japan gained control over Manchuria and Korea.
All these cataclysms brought the population to a state of extreme irritation, in other words, "the cup" of the lowest consciousness of the population was overfilled. In 1911 the uprising began, the Qing Empire ceased to exist. The Republic of China was proclaimed.
Nevertheless, until 1926 in China, the unrest continued, resulting in a military coup Chiang Kaishek. However, the pacification did not occur, and disorders in China did not stop, at this, in 1931 began the war with Japan, which occupied Manchuria. The Chinese communists and their supporters have entered the struggle. The troops of Kuomintang, exhausted by the struggle against Japan, by 1949 were defeated by communists and receded to Taiwan. The turbulent period of existence for Chinese ended.
Under the leadership of Communists, the People's Republic of China was established. There came the era of action of dissatisfaction of the highest consciousness of the new power elite of China, which, after some digressions, has led the Chinese community to a high level of technological development and the rise of the culture of the whole population. In general, motion of the Chinese community after 1949 can be considered as an upward.
Thus, the life cycle of the Chinese community includes 13 turning (critical) points, between which the periods of evolutionary development of the community occur, however the Chinese community and after nearly four thousand years of development has retained its integrity (self-consciousness) and continues to move forward.
The first critical point (XI century BC) marks the turning in the development of the initial Chinese community. The kingdom of Shang, which existed for about six centuries (from XVII century BC), was defeated by troops of Zhou province, which surpassed the kingdom of Shang in the military attitude.
The replace of the power elite has led to economic and cultural growth, which has been changed through a few several centuries on decline in connection with the weakening of central power.
The wars of the feudal princes began, culminating in the fall of Zhou in the middle of the third century BC under the onslaught of Qin Province (the duration of the time period between the two first turning points is about seven hundred centuries).
Thus, the second point of the fracture (the middle of the 3rd century BC) marks the change of the ruling elite- the Zhou dynasty by the Qin dynasty. The initial result of replacing the power elite was a period of successful military action by the Chinese for several decades - the rise that relatively quickly was being replaced by the decline, so how wars ravaged the population and led it to revolt at the end of III century BC, which is the 3rd turning point (the duration of the period between the second and third turning points is 50 years).
The third turning point in the development of China on the time axis (207 BC) shows an interesting phenomenon - the transformation of the village chief into the emperor, who founded the new Hang dynasty. Favorable for the population reforms led to a cultural and economic recovery, but this rise, like before, was being replaced by a recession due to growth of taxes and prices. This growth was necessary for waging the aggressive wars, unleashed by the ruling elite of China. The decline in the standard of living has initiated the excitation of the lowest consciousness of the whole population, that was expressed in general uprising, ended in 25 AD by the overthrow of the Hang dynasty, which is the 4rd turning point (the duration of the evolutionary period of the development between the third and fourth turning points is about 200 years).
The fourth turning point of the events in the history of China (25 AD) formally indicates the replacement of one dynasty by another, but, in fact, shows the satisfaction of the demand of the people to replace the power elite. As before, the new power began to carry out the reforms, favorable for the population, but after a while it has involved the community into wars to seize territories, which have led the country to a crisis, and the population to impoverishment. The situation has been aggravated by the invasion of Huns. A large uprising of the population caused i the disintegration of the empire onto three states in 220 AD which is the 5rd turning point. The period of the evolutionary development of the Chinese community between the 4th and 5th turning points also looks like the changeover from the initial rise by the decline (the evolutionary period of development between the fourth and fifth turning points is about 200 years).
The fifth turning point, indicating the coming to power of the new elite, denotes the foundation of the state of Jing (226-420 AD). The invasion of nomadic tribes and the seizure of Chinese territories by them have led Chinese community to the prolonged decline.
The community has come to life only after the assimilation of the most of the nomads - by the 6th century AD, when thanks to a certain rise the barbarous North has been united with the colonized South of the country yoke under control of the new Sui dynasty, governing from 581 to 618 AD, that clearly represents the next - the 6th - turning point in development of community (the time interval between the fifth and sixth turning points makes more than three centuries).
Thus, the sixth turning point can be designated the coming to power of a new elite in the person of the Sui dynasty (581 AD). As it was before, the initial actions of the new power elite were aimed at restoring the economy. However, this rise is rapidly coming to the end, inasmuch the recovery of economic potential has required significant funds, which had nowhere to take, except for the population. The angry population has revolted. The power elite was overthrown, and the new one was replacing it - in the form of the Tang dynasty, which ruled from 618 to 907 AD, that represents the 7th turning point (the time interval between the sixth and seventh turning points is less than 50 years).
The seventh turning point (618 AD) marks the replacement of the former imperious elite by the ruling elite of the Tang dynasty. This power elite began to carry out reforms in all branches of the economy, as well as in the field of law. Nevertheless, the rise and development, which continued 200 years of reign of the Tang dynasty, are replaced by the decline - the conflicts begin to occur between the central authority and the governors in the provinces of China.
Internecine wars have ended only in the middle of the 10th century AD and the central power was restored in the frame the new empire Sung, who ruled from 960 to 1279 AD - the 8th turning point (the time interval between the seventh and eighth turning points is more than three centuries).
The eighth turning point in the development of the Chinese community means the replacement of the power elite of China (the Sung Empire has come to the place of the Tang Empire). In general, the era of the Sung Empire as an interval of evolutionary development can be characterized by a significant increase in the level of self-consciousness of the entire population, which has been reflected in the cultural flowering of China. This favorable time for the development of the Chinese community was interrupted by the invasion of Mongols and the loss of statehood by China (1280 AD) - the 9th turning point (the time interval between the eighth and ninth turning points is about three centuries).
The ninth turning point is the conquest of China by Mongols. The invasion of the Mongols and the inclusion of China in their empire have led the Chinese community to long-term decline, inasmuch economy was destroyed, and the large part of the population was enslaved. Less than a hundred years was required for the accumulation of dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness of the entire population to the extreme by its disastrous existence.
This extreme dissatisfaction could not but lead to a general revolt against enslavers and to release of the country from their power (1368) - the 10th turning point (the time interval between the ninth and tenth turning points makes about 90 years).
Thereby the tenth turning point in the development of the Chinese community marks the restoration of sovereignty of China after the revolt and exile of Mongols in the middle of the 14th century AD.
The new Ming empire in the person of its power elite has being restored the economy, has being carried out a number of other progressive measures, but, closer to the XVII century AD its oppression was increasing. The population has rebelled. Along with that China has been captured by the Manchus (1645 AD) - the 11th turning point. The time interval between the tenth and eleventh turning points is about three centuries.
The eleventh turning point is the capture of China by the Manchus in 1645 AD. China has become by the part of the Manchu empire Qing. The Manchus quickly came under the rule of Chinese culture, and the Chinese community was further developed.
However, in XIX century began the importation of opium into China by Europeans, and accordingly - the Opium Wars, which led to the defeat of the Qing Empire and the transformation of China into the semi-colony of Europeans.
The population of China has come to a state of extreme irritation, the revolts began, and in 1911 the Qing Empire ceased to exist. The Republic of China was proclaimed - the 12th turning point. The time interval between the eleventh and twelfth turning points is about three centuries.
The twelfth point of the turn in 1911 denotes the replacement of the imperial power elite by the republican one. The development of the Chinese community in the conditions of republican rule long could not begin owing to the struggle of various groups, in which the war of China with Japan, as well and World War II has interfered. The struggle of two main groups - Chiang Kai-shek and communists - were won by the last (1949) - the 13th turning point. The time interval between the twelfth and thirteenth turning points makes less than 50 years.
The thirteenth turning point in 1949 has marked the victory in the civil war of the Communists. The gradual technological and cultural revival of the Chinese community began, which continues to this day.
This consideration of the history of the Chinese community for almost four thousand years shows that the integral communities develop discretely: evolutionary periods averaging several hundred years for China alternate with the turning events during which the imperious elite is changing, and respectively, the policy and the economic relations are changing in a varying degree. The periods between the turning points can significantly differ: to contain only one phase of rise, which can be interrupted by the turning in the form of external influence; the phase of rise can pass into the phase of the smooth motion (without substantial changes), which inevitably goes over into the phase of decline if it is not interrupted by external influence; the rise phase can also quickly pass into the decline phase in case of incorrect actions of imperious elite or external influence.
Besides, as the history of the Chinese community shows, the turning (critical) points in development not always lead to rise, process of decay can last for a long time - until a new critical (turning) point, but only in case of a sufficient reserve of the collectivist self-consciousness of community which completely breaks up at its absence as it happened, for example, to the Assyrian community, unlike the Chinese or Jewish communities.
For the Chinese community, the frequency of the turning positions (13) in the development of the community (XVII century BC - XXI century AD) is on average one turning point on 250 years for almost four thousand years, and the periods of evolutionary development between the turning points vary from 50 to 700 years.
The Spanish Christian community was being formed from the 8th century AD in the fight against Arabs, more precisely, the Moors-Muslims, and by the 11th century AD in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula four states emerged: Aragon, Leon, Navarre and Catalonia. In 914 AD the new kingdom Asturias included Leon, part of Portugal and part of Galicia, having formed, although divided, but still own power ruling elite of the state formed.
The peasants and townspeople who fought alongside the knights with the Moors did not fall into serfdom. On the contrary, they received the great benefits: the peasants have been forming the free communities, and the townspeople enjoyed greater rights than the townspeople of other European countries. In the struggle against Muslims, the self-consciousness of Spaniards developed and became stronger, so how the war for the return of the lands of the ancestors has been consolidating the Spaniards, causing the emergence of such traits as valor, honor, perseverance in achieving the set goals, adherence to ancient traditions based on the Christian faith as opposed to Muslim customs and mores.
With formation of Christian states in Spain and the weakening of Moorish rule for internal reasons, the return of the territory continued with success, and by the end of the 13th century the entire peninsula, except for the Granada Emirate, had been conquered by Spaniards-Christians. During the entire period from the beginning of Reconquista before its actual end continued strengthening of the of such quality of self-consciousness of Spaniards, how exactly Christian peculiarity as opposed to Conquerors-Muslim. Both new created kingdoms - Aragon and Castile - developed the specific statehood, which basis was the protection of trade and industry by laws.
Both kingdoms were being united in the single kingdom of Spain to the end of XV century. The renewed power elite began with even greater zeal to strengthen the Catholic Church: Inquisition was introduced, persecution of Jews and Muslims began. At the same time, the power of the king was being strengthened, sciences and arts became more encouraged. America was discovered, and its absorption by the Spaniards began. Expansion of strong Spanish army extended also to Europe: Naples was conquered, Navarre was annexed, in 1519 the Spanish king was elected as the German emperor. At the end of the 16th century Spain expanded colonies in South and Central America, seized Portugal (1580), having become thereby the world power.
This interval of the development of the Spanish community is characterized by the continuation of both the civilizational upsurge and the rise of the collectivist self-consciousness of Spaniards, who became to feel themselves to be world leaders.
However, at the end of this period of development of the Spanish community (middle of the 16th century), the economic recession begins. It was caused by the costs of continuous wars and corresponding increase in taxes, despite the robbery of the countries of America.
The regress of community was influenced in general by decomposition of the nobility (imperious elite) at the expense of the American gold, and respectively - the worsened quality of governance of the country as well as the weakening of the army.
By the beginning of the 18th century the country has become the bankrupt because of the theft of officials and enormous expenses on the army. The revolts in the provinces began. Catalonia and Portugal separated from Spain. Spain also recognized independence of Netherlands. By the middle of XVIII century, the country has fell into decay, and after the death of the childless king of Spain, the war of several European states began for the placing on the throne of Spain of own protege. France has won, and Bourbons were on the throne of Spain. The power elite completely changed. Progressive reforms became to be carried out, in particular, the state apparatus was improved, the taxation was centralized, the colonial commerce, production of manufactory began to develop.
However, at the end of the 18th century, during the reign of the weak King Charles IV, the war broke out with the revolutionary France. After the defeat of Spain, the country was forced to become the ally of France. Wars for other people's interests caused the uprising against the king's favorite. As a result, the crown was transferred to Napoleon's brother. This event caused outrage among the people. The guerrilla war began for the expulsion of French invaders. All these events of the Napoleonic period were caused mainly by the lowest consciousness of the masses of Spain, which always defends its own inhabited territory.
After the defeat of the French troops, the power of the Bourbons was restored.
However, the order in the country was being restored badly due to the weakness of the administration apparatus headed by the king. The decline of Spain caused excitement both in the country itself and in its American colonies, which declared themselves independent.
As a result, in 1820, a provisional government was created in Spain, a more progressive constitution was proclaimed. Nevertheless, with the help of the French troops the absolute power was returned to the king.
In Spain, for several decades, continued fermentation, repeated change of the managerial apparatus until the proclamation of the republic, which, however, has existed not for long - the throne again returned to the Bourbons (1874).
Since this time, the rise has begun: the centralized administration of the country was restored, the financial system was put in the order, universal suffrage was introduced, industry and trade began to develop.
For the years of the First World War the economy of Spain was shaken, at this, the spread of ideas of socialism led to unrest.
As a result, in 1931 the monarchy was overthrown, but disagreements in Spanish society led to civil war, which culminated in the victory of the conservative military forces (1939).
The modernization of the country, the development of industry and tourism began.
In 1976, the royal power was restored. Democratic reforms were begun, which continue to this day.
Let's designate the life cycle of the Spanish community according to the turning (critical) points.
The first turning point (the 11th century AD) designates the cardinal change in development of the community in the form of formation on the peninsula of the Christian states as a counterweight to expansion of Moors that occurred by results of partially won the battles with Moors. It follows from this that in the Spanish community, since the invasion of Moors, the gradual rise of dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness began, inasmuch it could not reconcile to loss of own territory. This rise - according to excitation of the collectivist lowest consciousness of community - continued till the 14th century, and, in process of increase in the freed territory, the highest consciousness has become to accompany the impact of the lowest consciousness on the behavior of the community, that were being reflected in the development of its specific statehood, which basis was the protection of trade and industry by the laws.
The second turning point (the end of the 15th century) testifies to the emergence of a new power elite as a result of the unification of both kingdoms of Spain. Its actions have prolonged the rise of the country (the interval between the first and second turning points is about four centuries).
In the 16th century Spain had become the world power. Practically, until that time, the self-awareness of the Spanish community continued to rise, inasmuch the community has felt itself by the world leaders.
However, already in this century a tendency to lowering of the level of the highest consciousness of the imperious elite owing to its decomposition by American gold was being manifested.
In connection with the decomposition of the elite, the economic recession began - the third turning point (the middle of the 16th century). This decline was promoted by the participation of Spain in continuous wars with the corresponding expenses on them, that required raising taxes. The amplified embezzlement of public funds by officials was added to this. The time interval between the second and third turning points makes about century.
At the beginning of the 18th century the country becomes bankrupt.
As a result, the power elite has come to complete degradation by the middle of XVIII century.
The fourth turning point (the middle of the 18th century) designates external impact on the Spanish community as a result of which there was a change of the imperious elite (the time interval between the third and fourth points of a change makes about two centuries).
The replacement of the ruling elite has led to the rise of the country, but it did not last long - in the end of XVIII century, Spain was defeated in the war and became the satellite of France.
The fifth turning point characterizes the change in the power elite of the Spanish community at the end of the XVIII century (the time interval between the fourth and fifth turning points is about 50 years).
From that time in the country the decline began. The people rose against French aggressors. They were driven out. Bourbons returned to the power, but the order in the country was not restored. Unrest continued in the country, there was a frequent change of the ruling regimes. Finally, in 1874. Bourbons returned to power again - the 6th turning point. The period between the fifth and sixth points of the crisis is characterized by a high level of the lowest consciousness of the population, that contributed to the liberation of the country, and a low level of self-awareness of the ruling classes fighting for power (the time interval between the fifth and sixth turning points is about century).
The sixth turning point reflects the beginning of raising of the country after coming to power of Bourbons (1874). Economic and public rise continued before World War I. The decline began after World War. The decline culminated in the overthrow of the monarchy, the civil war and the coming to power of conservative forces in 1939 - the 7th turning point.
The seventh point of the turning point (1939) testifies to the coming to power of a new conservative elite, nevertheless, gradually deployed the modernization of the country. The time interval between the sixth and seventh turning points is somewhat less than a century).
As a result of the actions of the conservative power elite, the situation of the population improved, and in 1976 the ruling regime voluntarily restored the monarchy in Spain, thereby having delegated power to other, more democratic structures. The emergence of a new power elite in Spain under the auspices of a constitutional monarchy testifies about the turning in development of community of Spaniards which happened in 1976 - the eighth turning point. The constitutional monarchy organized democratic reforms, which continue with varying success so far (the time interval between the seventh and the eighth turning points is somewhat less than 50 years).
Thus, the life cycle of the Spanish community, which lasted from VIII century AD and has not ended to this day (thirteen centuries), includes 8 turning points, between which periods of evolutionary development of the Spanish community are situated. These periods contain mainly phases of the rise or decline, as well as a combination of the rise and decline.
For the Spanish community, the frequency of the turning points in the development of the community is, on average, one turning point on 150 years at distance 1300 years, and periods of evolutionary development range from 50 to 400 years.
Such dynamics of development of communities is typical not only for those communities that, as Chinese or Spanish, exist in development, respectively, almost four thousand years and almost fifteen hundred years, but similar dynamics in the development of communities characterizes and already the disappeared communities (the reasons of their disintegration have been mentioned above).
The Assyrian community directly belongs to the vanished communities. The Assyrian community had been appeared at the beginning of the II millennium BC, and it had disappeared at the end of the 7th century BC.
The city-state of Ashur could be attributed to small trading states in the beginning of II millennium BC, in which merchants played a leading role, the state was not far off the trade routes. It was not independent, being under the domination of the larger states of the region.
Trade successes depended to a large extent on amplification of contacts with neighbors, and the easiest way to achieve this amplification could be achieved by military means. Therefore, the power elite of Ashur made repeated attempts at a policy of conquest for several hundred years, but at the end of the 16th century BC Ashur was defeated by the then powerful state of Mitania, and the country found itself in a period of the deep decline.
As a result of this, in the community from 15th century BC has been increasing by the discontent with the imperious elite, presented generally by merchants and has been arising an aspiration to replace the merchants with military.
Merchants in the power were replaced by the military nobility headed by the tsar in the middle of the 14th century BC. These events and weakening of Mitania - Assyria were under its power - resulted in military achievements in the form of occupation of the neighboring territories.
Development of this policy has given the opportunity to deploy a large-scale military action. In the middle of XIII century BC Assyrians have been robbing the Central regions of Babylonia, in XII century BC - have reached the shores of the Black and Mediterranean seas.
However, the Aramean invasion put an end to the military expansion of Assyria, and from XI century BC up to the end of X century BC Assyria again has come in a deep decline: cities were empty and the population has been fleeing to the mountains.
Due to the fact that Arameans were unable to create the large and powerful state, Assyrians at the end of the 10th century BC, rebuilt their military organization and carried out series of progressive military reforms. As a result, during IX century BC. Assyria has conquered all Northern Mesopotamia and has advanced to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
However, at the beginning of VIII century BC the troops of the neighboring state of Urartu have inflicted the strong defeat over Assyria, which has lost some of own territories. In connection with the onset of the social and economic crisis, the population's uprisings began.
Discontent with the old nobility has led to the loss of power by it. New tsars in the second half of VIII century BC has carried out the major reforms, reorganized the army and began the new campaigns for the robbery and the seizure of territories.
By the middle of VII century BC Assyria manages to capture Egypt and all Mesopotamia.
The capture of countries with different populations, languages and customs made the Assyrian community unsustainable, the more that the position of the indigenous Assyrian population had deteriorated significantly: the rural communities had lost their independence, and the agrarians had come close to the situation of slaves, planted on the ground. This circumstance, as well as the debilitating wars, frequent uprisings in conquered countries has caused a crisis in the state.
Attack at the end of VII century BC on Assyria by the strong enemies from the east and south has led to the complete defeat of its army, the capital was burned, resistance ceased, and the population gradually dissolved among the neighbors.
From this brief description it can be seen that the life cycle of the Assyrian community includes 7 turning points, between which are periods of the evolutionary development of the Assyrian community. The last turning point fixes its end.
The first turning point (the end of the 16th century BC) designates a change in development of community as a result of external influence (the defeat by other state), after which the decline period began, which lasted to the middle of the 14th century BC (about 150 years).
The second turning point (the middle of the 14th century BC) designates the replacement of the imperious elite of merchants by the military elite because of inadequacy of the operating structures of the state, and, respectively, falling of welfare of the population. The source of this turning (critical) event is mainly dissatisfaction of the highest consciousness of the population as a whole by the action of the governing structures for the development of the state. The result of replacing the power elite is the period of the successful military expansion of Assyria up to the beginning of XI century BC (approximately 250 years).
The third turning position (the beginning of the eleventh century BC) signifies the critical point in the development of the community as a result of external influence (the defeat of the state as a result of the invasion). The period of the decline lasted until the end of the 10th century BC (approximately 200 years).
The fourth turning point (the end of the 10th century BC) marks the critical position in the development of the community in the form of restoring its own military organization and carrying out the military reforms, which guaranteed the military successes of Assyria until the beginning of VIII century BC (approximately 100 years).
The fifth turning point (the beginning of VIII century BC) signifies a turning position in the development of the community as a result of external influence (the defeat by another state). The period of decline continued until the second half of VIII century BC (approximately 50 years).
The sixth turning point (the second half of the 8th century BC) denotes the replacement of the power elite of the old nobility towards the new military elite because of the defeat in the war and the impoverishment of the population. The result of the replacement of the power elite was the period of the successful military expansion of Assyria until the end of the 7th century BC (approximately 150 years).
The seventh turning point (the end of the 7th century BC) marks the final turning in the development of the community (complete defeat by other states). It is followed by the disintegration of the state and assimilation of the population of Assyria with the neighbors.
For the Assyrian community, the frequency of the turning points - there are only seven of them - in the development of the community is an average of one turning point on 200 years in interval about 1300 years (since the beginning of II millennium BC and until the end of VII BC), and the periods of evolutionary development fluctuate from 50 to 250 years.
Judging by the provided data from all three examples, they do not find the consent with the hypothesis of ethnogenesis offered by Gumilev, since these examples represent the development of integral communities in the form of the evolutionary periods of development from fifty to several hundred years. These periods can contain the phases - only rise, only decline, or the phases of rise and decline in different order as well as both specified phases together with a phase of smooth motion. At this, the evolutionary periods are sooner or later interspersed with the turning positions, in which happen a change of the settled way both for internal and external reasons changing the habitual course of events, directing the development of community along the new course, but, without bringing it to disintegration, i.e.- preserving the development vector on are long term for communities with rather high level of self-consciousness which has been not enough for the Assyrian community, unlike Chinese and Jewish.
For illustration, we will give a graphic depiction of the location of the turning points in the process of the development of the communities of China, Spain and Assyria over the centuries.
The presented examples clearly show that a smooth regular change in the ruling regime or dynasties (evolution) -without special excesses-occurs only up to a significant weakening of the central power or strengthening of oppression of the population, in particular, of the agrarians in China, who constituted and constitute the main part of the population of China. All this, in turn, gradually leads to increase of discontent of almost all segments of the population. Thereby the deep dissatisfaction of their collectivist lowest consciousness cannot but increase, being shown not under the influence of incomprehensible space radiation (growth of passionarity according to Gumilev), and for quite natural reasons: accumulation of discontent with constant poverty, hopelessness, hunger, executions, etc. up to such limit, after which a strong unrest begins, growing into an uprising of the population.
As a result, there is a coup in the form of a replacement in power elite, relations in the community tend to be softened - usually it is promoted by carrying out the reforms, and arisen deadly antagonism of the people and power recedes on the background, giving way to development of a community.
Judging by the examples given above, the development of a community after a similar turning (critical) position may start with some rise, after then the life cycle of a community may continue for some time in the form of smooth motion without special changes as though by inertia up to the beginning of decline, which is mostly being caused by "failure" actions of imperious elite, inasmuch a elite quickly forgets about the previous cataclysms, and begins to think only of itself, reinforcing the robbery of the population, unleashing wars with the neighbors, reducing all relationships only to bureaucratic, depriving the population the right to vote.
As a result, there is an economic decline, a impoverishment of the population, a tougher of the police oppression, and the discontent of the people is growing again, up to the specified limit, after the transition through which, the ruling elite is overthrown, and again everything repeats itself with the gradual growth.
In general, there is a gradual growth of level of economic, social and cultural development of a community which, that can last from ancient times up to now in the event of a steady increase in the level of highest consciousness, or ceases with the disappearance of the community in the event of a permanent domination of the lowest consciousness over the highest.
The periods of rise and decline can change by places from one turning point to another on these or those - generally external - reasons, or, as it can be seen from the examples given, between the turning points there can only be a recession or only a rise, the causes of which can also be external.
In connection with this, to the points - so to speak - of the natural turning that arise as a result of internal processes in the community, the external influences are often added, for example, the invasion of nomads, the catastrophic defeats in wars with the neighbors, the capture of the central power by foreigners, etc., or the external impacts on community can stimulate the long-accumulating discontent in the masses with events in the community.
Be that as it may, if at the turning points, for the most part only accompanying the manifestation of the activity of the lowest consciousness, the activity of the highest consciousness in the form of increase in level of its dissatisfaction of the surroundings finds expression in more or less reasonable (project and plan) actions of groups of people (cliques, parties, opposition), then the dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness of the population (passionarity according to Gumilev) finds expression only in the forms of rebellion - "senseless and merciless" - and in motion of large masses of people.
Therefore, it is not very productive to look for the source of such, seemingly, spontaneous activity of the masses of people or, in general, all other living beings, in cosmic radiation, solar activity, and so on.
The similar natural phenomena happen in the history quite often without serious consequences for people. Not these remote external phenomena move the masses of people, as well as - not the direct circumstances of natural origin (an adverse change of climate or landscape, the onslaught of rivals, wars, eruption of volcanoes, floods, plots, etc.): the rivals can withdraw or can be repulsed, floods or wars end, and the former life of the community continues without fundamental changes.
Therefore, it is obvious, that very rare turning points in the history of any community are being caused by a gradual accumulation - occupying, as a rule, hundreds of years - of a kind of social stress: the true causes of this stress often remain hidden, and the external expression of these events manifests itself in some or other indignations, as a result of which the situation in the community changes cardinally - there is a change of the ruling elite, and not just a replacement of a ruler or a dynasty, reforms begin, new projects appear, etc.
Therefore, the source of activity of both the masses and the individual should not be looked for outside - the community or person is not a cobblestone, in order someone would move them arbitrarily, - the source of activity should be looked for inside, i.e. - in consciousness.
The true source of the development of events lies in the dissatisfaction of consciousness with those - internal or external - factors that do not correspond to its sensations and perceptions about its own existence in the living being, which requires the resolution in the actions of this being by changing the conditions of its existence.
These factors include those that directly and significantly affect a person or the masses of people, more precisely, significantly affects his or their consciousness, respectively. At this, self-consciousness is responsible for the planned and projected actions of a person in the environment and in society, and the lowest consciousness is mainly for the actions of a person or a group of people as an organism or organisms of the environment inside this environment.
In particular, the well-known fact of the impossibility of the location of a community where almost everything is "eaten and drunk", and moving it to places where, presumably, it is possible to survive, finds an explanation in growth of the level of dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness, caused mostly by a prolonged change in very specific circumstances of natural origin (the unfavorable climate changes or landscape changes , the onslaught of rivals, continuous wars, consequences of volcanic eruptions, floods, poor quality of management, etc.), but not in a one-time impact on the living beings of cosmic radiation.
The accumulated dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness under the influence of these or those adverse circumstances, being a true source of fundamental changes in the community, produces them only through their own carriers, when a certain limit of "patience" is reached, and in the quality of the "trigger" for these changes may be an insignificant event, for example, the bread shortage in Petrograd in February 1917, which formally led to the collapse of the monarchy in Russia.
So it is senseless to look for an initial source of sudden turning (critical) events in community in concrete (single) natural circumstances, inasmuch without the corresponding response (reaction) to incoming into consciousness and accumulating in it information from the concrete phenomena, they are not recognized by the person (population) as fatal or turning (critical), i.e., by those, which are producing the menacing changes in community - a person (the population) accepts them as privates - the problem is being solved, and the life flows in the same order. This position is characteristic only of the evolutionary development of the community, which does not ruin down human lives in a multitude, as well as does not produce the fundamental changes in the community.
The response (reaction) in the form of a significant outrage (disappearance of passivity of the population) occurs in the following cases: the gradual accumulation of discontent by the extreme aggravation of life in the community (tax increases, the growth of punishments, the total embezzlement of officials, the loss of control by the power elite, etc.); the external cataclysms: invasions, crop failures, the exhausting dragged-out wars; as well as - a combination of that and another.
Thus, the essential (turning) response (reaction) is impossible without the corresponding overflow of consciousness by dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness, that causes the instinctive actions of the masses of people, which can be supported by the opposition, if any, and some groups of people and individuals can use this mass discontent for own purposes (Napoleon, Lenin).
The examples given above show also that over time in case of growth of the self-consciousness of the population and, accordingly, - the growth of the self-consciousness of the intellectual elite, the last, in the face of informal opposition, increasingly takes part in instinctive actions of masses in turning (critical) points, and in case of essential compromises between the operating elite and informal intellectual elite process of community development can be smoother - without cataclysms and even without sharp changes. The last, in particular, has occurred in Western Europe after World War II.
In conclusion, one may say, that from the given examples, which can be more, in the developing integral (holistic) community one can see not Gumilev's four-phase ethnogenesis, which is coming to the end, according to his opinion, through 1200-1500 thousand years by disintegration of a community (ethnos), but - the intermittent (13 critical points for China) and, in general, progressive motion of a community, reaching many thousands of years (China).
The community, in this life cycle, which is divided by turning (critical) - relatively short-term - periods, can disintegrate completely in one of them (a low level of collectivist self-consciousness), but, for the most part, during these turning periods it is being changed radically the political and economic control system along with replacement of the ruling elite. Successful replacement leads to a long rise; an unsuccessful or equivalent replacement of the elite - leads either to death in the form of the absorption of the community by the neighboring communities, or, in the case of a high level of self-consciousness (the Chinese or Jewish community), a decline lasts up to the next turning position and - to possible subsequent exit on rise, which provokes again after a certain time the decline, leading to a turning point in the development of the community, etc.
Between the turning points, along with the phases of ascent and decay, there may - but not necessarily - be relatively long periods of smooth (evolutionary) development of the community.
Thus, the development of a community is intermittent, but on the whole it is progressive, judging from the data of technological and cultural growth presented above, except for cases of stopping the growth of the community's self-consciousness for one reason or another, for example, by those, that manifested itself in the history of the Assyrian community, which focused on the use of force without the integrative cultural upsurge of the collectivist self-consciousness of the heterogeneous population, leading to the complete collapse of the community when this force disappeared.
As we have showed, a source of development of a community is manifestation of dissatisfaction of collectivist consciousness of two types - the lowest consciousness and the highest consciousness.
From this position the development of community can also be presented as low-frequency - several times during one thousand years - manifestation of dissatisfaction of consciousness, uneven on time, in the form of short-term surges in dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness of the population (not always, but often these surges of dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness are combined with surge of dissatisfaction of the highest consciousness of intellectual informal opposition), directed against the actions of the imperious elite. The similar combination means that types of consciousness hostile each other merge in own manifestation because of coincidence of their interests under the threat of death or disintegration of a community.
Between these surges of activity on the time axis is manifested rather long (evolutionary) action of the imperious elite governing the community, for which the manifestation of the lowest consciousness is typical, so how any power elite is focused mainly on own interests. However, the ruling elite is forced to combine own interests with survival of community, i.e. - with its development and integrity (resistance to disintegration and invasions) that more corresponds to a sphere of the highest consciousness.
The informal intellectual opposition is trying to correct the egocentric behavior of the elite The basis of the actions of the informal intellectuals are the domination of self-consciousness for them, which pushes aside the lowest consciousness to the background.
The productivity of manifestation of dissatisfaction of the highest consciousness of the ruling elite and the informal intellectuals, and counteraction to this manifestation of the dissatisfaction of the lowest consciousness of the ruling elite in the periods between the turning points is reflected on the pace and smoothness of the development of a holistic community.