Toynbee brings together thirteen essays and lectures exploring how civilisations develop, interact and understand their place in history. He considers whether history repeats itself, compares the modern world with Graeco-Roman civilisation, and examines the declining political dominance of Europe as previously separate societies become increasingly connected. Several essays address the position of Western civilisation in a changing international order.

The collection also examines encounters between different cultural and religious traditions, including Russia’s Byzantine inheritance and relations between Islam and the West. Christianity and other higher religions occupy an important place in Toynbee’s interpretation of historical development, particularly in his discussion of what history may mean for individuals and societies. Across the essays, he combines contemporary political concerns with his broader philosophy of history, treating the pressures facing modern civilisation as part of longer patterns of cultural contact, political change, breakdown and spiritual response.