Isaac Asimovs Foundation - Cycles of History :: Isaac Asimov Foundation

Isaac Asimovs fundament - Cycles of History mental home is a allegory throughout which the cycles of score atomic number 18 present. Isaac Asimovs peculiar notions on how change in the environment affects the nature of historical change are present throughout this novel. Asimov uses principles of Marxism to fabricate his future history. Asimov also creates a future political structure modeled on the roman letters Empire. According to Jean Fielder, one of the largeest influences on Asimovs Foundation novel is Gibbons Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. This parallel is most discernible as Foundation depicts the gradual disintegration of a great empire, the concomitant overture in regional trade, and the eventual consolidation of political and economic authority in the trading city- (or planet-) states. And, the like a history, "Foundation focuses on mass movements quite an than on individual actions"(Fiedler 59). In Foundation, the Galactic Empire is the grad ually disintegrating great empire, just as the Roman Empire is the disintegrating empire in Gibbons work. And, as in Gibbons history, the Foundation builds a trading empire that later unites the planets together. some popular histories seem to focus on the empire-builders military conquests. However, in Foundation, Asimovs history of the future "makes the cogent point that the true tools of empire-building are economic and socio-political knowledge" (Fiedler 57). This principle is shown through the use of the Seldon Crises. Most often, the resolutions to these crises are a ridiculous mix of psychological manipulation and expert usage. For example, the Galactic religion provides a means of psychologically manipulating the people of the galaxy to become dependent upon the technological sophistication of the Foundation. Much of Asimovs Foundation is based upon Marxism and the Marxist principle of historical materialism. In Charles Elkinss opinion, these Marxist ideas in clude the old puzzle of historical inevitableness (predestination) versus free will, which itself flows out of the often unsuccessful yet desperately necessary-and thence always repeated-struggles of men to control their personal futures and the futures of their societies.(Elkins 100) These ideas are shown throughout Foundation, and in fact are the basis behind most of the heroic characters. Characters like Hober Mallow, Salvor Hardin, and Limmar Ponyets epitomize men who struggle to control their futures (Elkins 105). These men move over their lives to doing their part to help Seldons Plan to be a success, but in reality, they are a planned part of Seldons plan to help the Foundation succeed.