Sometimes they had it coming (protip: never kill a Mongol’s messenger) and sometimes … not so much.Īnd in one of those twists of fate, the source of the Mongol Empire’s strength ultimately led to its downfall. On the one hand, the Mongols encouraged tales of their terrifying exploits (see the mention of propaganda above), but on the other hand, they did raze several cities.

It’s kind of a weird thing to look at from a modern perspective. In turn, Weatherford posits that the Renaissance was less a rediscovery of ancient Greek thought, and more the transplanting of Mongol-based technology and ideas to Europe.Īnother Mongol accomplishment: this joke.Īnd, yes, the Mongols did kill a whole bunch of people, and enslaved many, many more. The Mongol empire was responsible for inventions that would go on to become cornerstones of the modern world: gunpowder, the printing press, and even playing cards. The Mongols were a pragmatic people, and so they pretty much cherry-picked the most useful bits of culture and technology from people they conquered.

Basically, the Mongol Empire was the first “modern” state: it had a separation of church and state, it made extensive use of trade and propaganda, and encouraged the development and use of new technologies. Things pick up (and sources become more diverse) as the Mongols start building an empire– and this is where we really see Weatherford’s thesis take off. Weatherford touches on this in passing, but for the most part he takes The Secret History of the Mongols as fact, especially given the thorough detail that’s given about certain places in Mongolia. On the one hand, it’s interesting to see where Genghis came from … but on the other, The Secret History of the Mongols is really the only source Weatherford has for Genghis’ early life, so I’m honestly not sure how accurate the account could be. Weatherford starts the book detailing Genghis’ early life, based on a document known as The Secret History of the Mongols. I mean, he went from a poor, illiterate peasant to to the greatest conqueror in history– just add some dragons and wizards, and you’ve got yourself a fantasy novel. While the “great man” theory of history has a lot of unfortunate implications, there’s no arguing that Genghis Khan left an indellible mark on history. It is, as one would expect, about the life and empire of Genghis Khan. I heard about Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World in passing, and finally decided to track down a copy. The Mongol Empire was one of those stretches of history I was vaguely familiar with, in that I knew a bunch of guys on horses conquered a whole bunch of stuff, but I was a little short on details. Well, except for the millions of people they killed and/or conquered, but still. Book Review: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford.

Genghis khan and the modern world