The Character of the Power Configuration Sequence of the Central World system/Civilization, 1500-700 BC.

The power structure of the Central Civilization/ World System is appraised at 25-year intervals, from 1500 BC to an arbitrary stopping point of 700 BC. The systemic power structure will be evaluated in terms of its predominant forms and their stability. This paper will be the sixth in a series in which the political careers of civilizations/world systems receive snapshot codings of their overall power structures at feasible intervals. The narratives are produced by collating histories with large frames of reference. The codings are done using a nominal variable, polarity, with seven available values: nonpolarity; multipolarity; tripolarity; bipolarity; unipolarity; hegemony; empire. Previous articles and papers in the series have examined the Indic system 550 BC--AD 1800, the Far Eastern 1025 BC--AD 1850, the Northeast African c. 2625--1500 BC, and the Southwest Asian c.2700--1500 BC. The Northeast African and Southwest Asian systems and sequences merge c. 1500 BC to form the Central system, which has continued in existence since then, and expanded to global scope, engulfing all former coexisting world systems. The current paper will graph the first 800 years, or roughly one quarter of the duration, of the ongoing Central system, now over 3500 years old. The paper compares the sequence to the expectations of various theories. Toynbee’s revised civilizational model fares best; the classical European balance of power model is only partly successful. Alternative directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]