Mongolian Management

The Mongolian Empire quickly conquered monumental sums of land in only a relatively small amount of time, but their serious challenge was figuring out a way to govern and maintain the newly acquired land. Genghis Khan united the Mongols and with their superior military skills, they toppled the governments of surrounding nations and captured their lands. The Mongols who occupied each subjected nation ruled the people and installed different government systems that fit their liking. The Golden Horde, those who conquered the land of modern-day Russia, decided to tax their subjects and refuse to coexist with them. The Mongols in Persia created the Ilkhanate of Persia, where the nomads assimilated into Persian cultures and societies and ruled by a khan, or leader. Those in China during the Yuan Dynasty did away with the civil examinations and decided to promote individuals to rule the lands so that the nomads did not have to handle politics. These three different types of relationships and ways of installing government rule are the Mongols’ response to the needs of their newly claimed lands.

The Golden Horde was the ruling power of Russia and the Mongols received the gold they wanted from the Slavs in exchange for military protection through a vassal arrangement. Genghis Khan started the conquest of the massive nation of Russia with his elite equestrian armies who “attacked and defeated the princes of Russia and established their own empire.” To finalize their power over the newly dominated people, “the khan made vassals of the Russian princes, who paid a heavy tribute each year but ruled their states independently.” The effect of this vassal arrangement was that the Mongols would receive the gold and treasures that they desired fr...

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...d expansive amount of land. The document details the military campaign of Batu and how the princes of Russia took advantage of the internecine difficulties of the Golden Horde to revolt and become independent again.

Xu, Guangqui, ed. World Eras. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Accessed April 12, 2011. http://ic.galegroup.com////ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&prodId=WHIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE|CX3035200093&mode=view.

This secondary source offers great information about the economy of the Yuan Dynasty, specifically about their agricultural and commercial policies. The document talks of Genghis Khan’s role as a catalyst for the growth of the Chinese merchant class and how the profession quickly gained a large amount of respect whereas it used to be thought of as a class of thieves and the lowest people of the community.