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The Collapse of Complex Societies ** by Joseph A. Tainter Cambridge University Press: Cambridge: 1990. (pp. 250)

In 1991 one of the world’s two superpowers collapsed- disappeared. It did so apparently suddenly and without advance warning. Some thought-leaders on the world stage claimed the collapse resulted from the superior economic, political and strategic power of the capitalist state- the other super power, the United States of America. Others suggest as Leopold Kohr did in his book Breakdown of Nations (1944, 1957) that the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics simply collapsed because of "biggness" -it was too big and complex. Historians and social scientists have since the 18th Century been convinced that progress ensures constant improvement, increased complexity, development of more technologies as inevitable consequences of history. Indeed, nearly all social and historical analysis has been devoted to progressive improvements in society. Virtually no attention has been paid to the possibility of regression or collapse- the opposite of progress. As the author of this important work, Dr. Joseph A. Tainter observes, "human history as a whole has been characterized by a seemingly inexorable trend toward higher levels of complexity, specialization, and sociopolitical control- [but] instances when this almost universal trend has been disrupted by collapse have not received a corresponding level of attention." Dr. Tainter’s important work stands out as the exception. To understand the modern state and the factors contributing to the collapse of societies- including the role of Fourth World nations, reading and understanding this volume is essential.

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