What is Polybius's theory of political cycles?
I observed a recurring pattern in the evolution of states, which I termed the 'cycle of constitutions'. I posited that political systems naturally progress through phases: monarchy gives way to tyranny, tyranny to aristocracy, aristocracy to oligarchy, oligarchy to democracy, and democracy to ochlocracy (mob rule), which then necessitates the re-establishment of monarchy. Each form contains the seeds of its own destruction and the rise of the next, a perpetual, natural progression driven by human passions and the pursuit of power.