Yeats thinks of history as a gyre because he believes history repeats itself, which means it is possible to predict its ups and downs, as explained below.
In his poem "The Second Coming," Yeats mentions several different symbols, among which there is a gyre. A gyre is a whirl or a vortex, which indicates the idea of a circular movement. As we know, if someone or something moves in circles, they are destined to repeat the same path over and over again.
Therefore, it is possible to conclude that Yeats believes history repeats itself. Big events such as the rise and fall of nations and empires, wars and so on are all predictable. As mentioned in the prompt, however, there are those who disagree with him by defending the idea that history is linear. But the symbol is clear - from Yeats' perspective, history is a on a circular motion.
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