Arnold J. Toynbee

Arnold Joseph Toynbee was born 14 April 1889 in England and built his career as a research professor of international history at the London School of Economics and King's College London. From 1918 to 1950 he was regarded as a leading specialist on international affairs, and from 1929 to 1956 he directed studies at Chatham House, where he produced 34 volumes of the *Survey of International Affairs* - a reference work that became essential reading for British foreign policy circles. His real mark came with *A Study of History*, published in 12 volumes between 1934 and 1961, a sprawling attempt to trace patterns across civilizations through challenge and response rather than mere chronicle. The work and his prolific output of papers, speeches, and books translated into many languages made him widely read and debated through the 1940s and 1950s. He died 22 October 1975, his grand theory since eclipsed but his ambition still visible in the scope he dared.