Men united to form a society under a sovereign for their collective security, for the preservation of their families, and to accumulate wealth. I have attempted to identify the constituent elements of these missions. This book will examine Hindu, Greek, and Roman civilizations, but only to glean from them general developmental or evolutionary principles. Civilizations are sometimes referenced as young, mature, or decrepit, as if the world had periods of youth and senescence. The world is always young, when a new generation arises. Alexander, by showing that a Greek army could march anywhere and do anything, founded a new civilization. The destruction of rivals opened the door to a universal empire for the Romans. The adventures of Columbus opened a new era for European colonization. Many more instances can be cited to show that great movements have arisen, not so much from the birth of a new idea, but from an opportunity to apply ancient ideas by a new generation. As these precedents demonstrate, reversing an apparently irreversible decline is not mysterious. Rather, the mystery resides in the acquiescence to the decline as a fait accompli. There is a very old saying that a man does not know anything, unless he knows his origins.