Wright uncovered this pattern not only in modern American and European history but also in Hellenistic and Roman times, and noted that others had glimpsed it before him. He attributed this pattern mainly to generational experience. “The warrior does not wish to fight against himself and prejudices his son against war,” he observed, “but the grandsons are taught to think of war as romantic.” While Wright also pondered over more epochal “long-wave” cycles of warfare, his saecular rhythm has drawn the most interest from later historians.
