Weatherford, J. McIver. Genghis Khan and the making of the modern world. New York: Crown, 2004.
Introduction
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford was published in 2004. This book was written to capture the essence that is Genghis Khan and what he achieved and what he left for his descendents to continue for him. In this book it starts off with the life of Genghis Khan and ends with how he influenced the world. The book is organized into three parts and from there is seperated into three or four chapters. Each part has a main point to cover in the life of Genghis Khan and his achievements and what they entailed.
The book also has an introduction where Weatherford goes to explain the origins of this book started with world commerce in mind and turned out to become a book on Genghis Khan and his achievements. Also in this introduction Weatherford main point it to convince the reader that the medieval world changed into the modern world because of the Mongols, and he expands on this idea in the introduction by explaining the size of the area the Mongols had conquered. Of course the first part of this book has to do with the rise of Genghis Khan and his ability to bring together the nomadic tribes of Mongolia. The second part of the book is all about the expansion of the
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Genghis Khan wanted to preserve the lives of others, he did kill and torture many people but he did however once he conquered a group of people allowed them religious freedoms and allowed them to keep their lives as they were before for their loyalty. His armies were on a mission and that mission was to capture and gain as much land as possible because by 1220 the Mongols had captured about 23 different cities. Their mission also was to destroy those who did not submit and accept those who
...trospectively. The menacing creature that is Genghis Kahn went overboard to gain as much power as he did. His strategies didn’t allow failure. Unfortunately, his success was from a sociopathic standpoint. Every win by Khan, was a loss for all others. (doc D and doc F) The law codes composed by Kahn were ridiculously unjust and ignited insolence in all men. (doc K and doc N) The yam system was the only completely harmless innovation/method created by Kahn. (doc L) Meanwhile, millions of people were still systematically murdered by Genghis and his stupendous army. (doc E and doc I) All but monotheistic religions were practically snubbed. (doc H, doc G, and doc M). The Mongols will always remain the “barbarians,” for if a society were to emerge that, by some supernatural force, exceeds the brazenness of the Mongol Empire, it would be the end of the world as we know it.
... were positive, one may argue that these individuals only saw the tolerant and fair-minded side of the Mongols, and not the relentless warrior part of the society who was known for its “dirty” tactics of war, which went as far as launching diseased-ridden corpses over the walls of castles during sieges. Alternatively, one may argue that the scholars who provided negative documentation of the Mongols only saw the destructive side, not the open-minded side of the society who were known for their cultural acceptance. Although these accounts allowed for an adequate idea of the nature of the Mongols, a record from a peasant who was not a member of the upper class in their society, as all reports presented were from historians, scholars, and political leaders. This would allow for a different perspective on the issue and would produce a better understanding of the topic.
Carpini’s History of the Tartars is a well organized and meticulous report on the Mongol Empire that is told from the perspective of Giovanni Carpini. As an overweight sixty year old friar, Carpini was an unlikely candidate to make the trek to the unexplored Mongol Empire, however because of his ability to mingle with the peasantry with ease, he was chosen to carry out this task. Through his determination to not only evangelize but also to spy on the Mongols, Carpini was able to write History of the Tartars with great detail and accuracy. Only because of Giovanni Carpini work, do we know as much about the Mongols as we do today.
Rossabi, Morris. "Life in China Under Mongol Rule: Religion." The Mongols in World History | Asia
The most important constituent to the Mongols success was ‘a ruthless use of two psychological weapons, loyalty and fear’ (Gascoigne 2010). Ghengis Khan, the Mongol leader from 1206-1227, was merciless and made a guileful contrast in his treatment of nomadic kinsfolk and settled people of cities. For instance, a warrior of a rival tribe who bravely fights against Ghengis Khan and loses will be r...
Jack Weatherford showed great enthusiasm and passion while depicting Genghis Khan as a great leader, who was responsible for the unity of people and various other accomplishments. He had a very positive attitude toward the subject, although he didn’t set out to write a book about him, but rather on about the history of world commerce. In the process of researching the Silk Road he traveled to Mongolia and gain vital first hand information into the vast accomplishments of Genghis Khan and the Mongols (xxx). He seems upset about previous ideas that many may have believed that highlight his beloved Mongols in anything but a positive and respectful light. He also expresses feelings about later Mon...
Weatherford, Jack. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. New York: Crown, 2004. Print.
The Mongols were an influential group of people. They’re rule reached the far reaches of the globe even reaching places in Europe. The Mongol impact is clearly seen in the Persian and Chinese societies. Although it was the Mongols who took over both these societies, they still differed in many aspects.
The Mongol Empire was a very powerful which conquered more land in two years than the Romans did in 400 years. Also, they controlled more than eleven million square miles. The Mongols were very important because they created nations like Russia and Korea, smashed the feudal system and created international law, and created the first free trade zone. In the beginning of the Mongol Empire, they mostly lived in foothills bordering the Siberian forests mixing heroing and hunting. They also became really good at archery and riding horses. The main reason the Mongols came to be so powerful was all because of a man named Genghis Kahn. Genghis was born around 1162 with the name Temujin. Due to the death of his father, Temujin was left under the control of his older brothers. Soon enough, he was married to a woman named Borte. Borte was later kidnapped, in which Temujin proved his military skills when saving her. Not to long after this, Temujin became the leader of his tribe. Yet, to unite the Mongol confederations it required a civil war, which Temijun ended up winning. After proving his skills and loyalty, Temijun was declared the Gr...
According to one of the prosecuting attorneys, Genghis Khan killed an approximate “40 million people, about 10% of the world 's population at the time” during his reign over the Mongol Empire. As staggering as those numbers appear, there is substantial justification that is submitted by Genghis Khan himself, as well as the many other witnesses that defend and corroborate his account. Additionally, the amount of evidence presented by the defense is unparalleled to that of the prosecuting attorneys. The most convincing, compelling, and informative testimonies were delivered by Genghis Khan, the Mongol Government Official, the Merchant, and the Prince of Moscow. In contrast, there were a few notable testimonies from the witnesses that opposed Genghis Khan; those of Pope Innocent IV and Caliph of Baghdad. The others merely introduced minor arguments, repeated information, or unsubstantiated, inaccurate information that
The military exploits of the Mongols under Ghengis Khan as well as other leaders and the ruthless brutality that characterized the Mongol conquests have survived in legend. The impact of the invasions can be traced through history from the different policies set forth to the contributions the Mongols gave the world. The idea of the ruthless barbarian’s intent upon world domination will always be a way to signify the Mongols. Living steadfast upon the barren steppe they rode out of Mongolia to pursue a better life for their people.
Hartog, L. D. (2004). Genghis Khan: conqueror of the world (vii ed.). [eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)]. http://dx.doi.org/AN 112269
In 1206, Temujin became known as Genghis Khan, which means “oceanic ruler”, and the Mongol tribes became unified as the Great Mongol Nation. Because the spoils of conquest were used to reward and pay the soldiers, Genghis Khan...
...form the only copies surviving of the epic on the secret history of the Mongols. Nevertheless, this epic was well known in China since it was used to teach the Chinese people how to write and read the Mongolian language. Copies of this epic went into extinction and by the advent of the 19th century, only a few copies of the epic could be traced. This epic is used by many historians in understanding the Mongolian language and also in understanding their culture especially when it comes to assessing how the culture treated women in society.
Weatherford, J. McIver. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. New York: Crown, 2004. Print.