The Isaac Asimov Foundation - Cycles of HistoryThe Foundation is a novel in which the cycles of history are present. Isaac Asimov's peculiar notions of how environmental change influences the nature of historical change are present throughout this novel. Asimov uses the principles of Marxism to fabricate his future history. Asimov also creates a future political structure modeled after the Roman Empire. According to Jean Fielder, one of the major influences on the Asimov Foundation novel is Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. This parallel is most evident as Foundation depicts the gradual disintegration of a large empire, the concomitant increase in regional trade, and the eventual consolidation of political and economic power in commercial city-states (or planet-states). And, as a story, “[The Foundation] focuses on mass movements rather than individual actions” (Fiedler 59). In Foundation, the Galactic Empire is the great empire gradually disintegrating, just as the Roman Empire is the disintegrating empire in Gibbon's work. And, as in Gibbon's story, the Foundation builds a commercial empire that later unites the planets. Many popular stories seem to focus on the military conquests of the empire builder. However, in Foundation, Asimov's story of the future "convincingly emphasizes that the true tools of empire building are economic and socio-political development" (Fiedler 57). This principle is demonstrated through the use of Seldon crises. Very often, the solutions to these crises are a unique mix of psychological manipulation and the use of technology. For example, galactic religion provides a means to psychologically manipulate the people of the galaxy into becoming dependent on the Foundation's technological sophistication. Much of Asimov's Foundation is based on Marxism and the Marxist principle of historical materialism. According to Charles Elkins, these Marxist ideas include the old conundrum of historical inevitability (predestination) versus free will, which in turn arises from the often unsuccessful but desperately necessary - and therefore always repeated - struggles of men to control their personal future and the future of life. their companies. (Elkins 100) These ideas are shown throughout the Foundation and indeed are the basis behind most of the heroic characters. Characters such as Hober Mallow, Salvor Hardin, and Limmar Ponyets embody men struggling to control their future (Elkins 105). These men dedicate their lives to doing their part to help Seldon's Plan succeed, but in reality they are a planned part of Seldon's plan to help the Foundation succeed..