The Kyklos is a term used by some classical Greek authors to describe what they saw as the political cycle of governments in a society. It was roughly based on the history of Greek city-states in the same period. The concept of "The Kyklos" is first elaborated in Plato's Republic, chapters VIII and IX. Polybius calls it the "anakyklosis". (1)

In its simplest form, this alleged cycle looks like this: Monarchy turns into aristocracy, which turns into a classical republic, which turns into a democracy, which turns into a tyranny (in the Classical Greek sense of the word), which again turns into a monarchy and so on. There are often variations and steps skipped in the cycle, depending on the author who discusses it.

Socrates begins with the "Aristocratic State", and then “oligarchy comes next; this is not equally approved, and is a form of government which teems with evils: thirdly, democracy, which naturally follows oligarchy, although very different: and lastly comes tyranny, great and famous, which differs from them all, and is the fourth and worst disorder of a State.” (2)

Socrates also claims that the wheel turns as the character of man turns. “For as the government is, such will be the man.” (3) As the character of man changes, so does the state, because the state is said to be only the reflection of the parts that make it up.

Aristotle argued that a classical republic shifts to democracy and an aristocracy shifts to oligarchy, or to the opposite extremes (in other words, aristocracy to democracy). (6)

The idea of The Kyklos was perhaps sustained by the history of the city-state in which these philosophers lived, namely Athens. Later, the idea was revived following the crises and transformations of Rome.

Athens started out as a monarchy, moved to the reforms of Solon, then moved to a form of democracy. During the lifetime of Socrates, however, constant civil war resulted in numerous abrupt changes of government, and many tyrants came and went.

Rome also started out as a monarchy, which was deposed very early on in the city's history, at the founding of the Roman Republic. The republic then grew increasingly democratic for a number of centuries, until Rome's territorial expansion fostered the growth of a plutocracy, which was itself eventually replaced by the Roman Empire. In modern terms, that empire could perhaps be described more accurately as a military dictatorship.

References

1. Liberty or Equality, Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, Christendom Press, Front Royal, Virginia, l993. pg 128.
2. Plato’s Republic, translated by B. Jowett, M.A., Vintage Books, NY. sec 544 pg 292.
3. Plato's Republic, sec 557, pg 311
4. Aristotle, Politics, Loeb Classical Library, Vol 264, #1307a; pg 415.