Roughly every 250 years, human civilisation undergoes a dramatic reset. They are moments where kingdoms rise and fall, economies shift, values are rewritten, and societies reorganise themselves at every level — political, economic, cultural, even existential. These aren’t ordinary historical moments but mega epochs, when all shorter societal cycles align and force civilisation onto a new path.

From biological markers to power structures, many variables shape how we understand the rhythm of societal change.

Across history, patterns of rise and fall, peace and war, innovation and decline seem to unfold in rhythms - some as short as a decade, others stretching over a century. Are there five, six, or even more distinct lengths to these societal cycles?

Complexity Theory as a Framework for Understanding Societal Transformation

What can generational theories tell us about this shift?

Every 50 years or so, according to Kondratieff wave theory, capitalist economies reorganise themselves around a new technological foundation, sparking the rise of new business ecosystems. Where are we now in that cycle—and what might the next foundation look like?

Is the current turbulence in the world only about Trump and his followers playing reckless politics out of the blue, or are we witnessing the beginning of a new era in the global world order?