Summary Of Genghis Khan And The Making Of The Modern World By Jack Weatherford

The Mongols used well planned military tactics that undoubtedly lead them to victory time and time again. The soldiers were very obedient and listened to the appointed chiefs well. One tactic they used to beat there enemy and expand their empire was this; the prince appoints an officer to every ten men, one to every hundred, one to every thousand, and one to every ten thousand, as stated in the book, and document 1 and 4. Another tactic used by the Mongols was as follows; the Mongol army would pretend to retreat, therefore making the rival believe they had won, when in reality that was just the start. The Mongols would then turn and fire arrows at there opponents, killing them and conquering there land that strengthened as well as add growth to their empire.

The book I have chosen is called Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. This book describes the Mongol Legacy and how his achievements have impacted the globe since he was first found. This book consists of Jack Weatherford’s take of how the Mongolian empire impacted the world. This book is divided into sections that talk about the stages of the Mongol influence.

The magnitude of the Mongol empire from the beginning to its greatest heights is an amazing story. Weatherford states “he smashed the feudal system of aristocratic privilege and birth, he built a new unique system based on individual merit, loyalty, and achievement” (xix). All of these newly presented ideas assist Khan in his conquest of unity and progression. In the battle against the Bukhara, he had many of the local people either assist him in his mission or be punished brutally. This old, but newly used concept of divide and conquer worked in Khan’s favor. It not only caused the surrender of the Bukhara, but when word spread it assisted in the surrender of the capital of Samarka (9). He realized the power of psychological warfare and used it to his advantage. In a campaign against Jamuka, the displaying of the Spirit Banner was used to make it difficult for the opposing side viewing these Banners to fight if the kinsmen had used ancestors’ Spirit Banner. This was used as “tantamount” to attacking

Temujin is Genghis Khan’s real name. He wasn't given that name until he united the Mongolian plains later in life. Genghis means strong and Khan means leader. So he was called strong leader by his followers.

The Mongols were constantly conquering new lands of insanely large sizes. They acquired land masses as big as 4,860,000 square miles all around. (document one) They were like terrorists to another persons home and another mans land with their crude actions and constant killing. Genghis Kahn alone conquered the largest amount of land, in fact being 4,860,000 square miles. Thats bigger than the body of the United States alone, and there’s no way that this man acquired all this land just by marching in and asking if he could take over. He just took over with the complex army he’d formed. Their army was just as hardcore and serious as they were. The faults of one man could result in the death of ten. The act of ten men could result in the death of 100

Genghis Khan, born Temujin, was the founder and Great Khan (emperor) of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his demise.

The Mongols had a very skilled and strong arming and never lost battles outnumbered. They would travel by horse and split into small groups to surround the enemy to trap them. They were also falsely retreat the attack. To have a skilled and strong army they must have a great which was Genghis Khan. [From The Mongols Movie Worksheet and Document 2]

The Mongols were very powerful for hundreds of years. They had powerful and effective military strategies. For example “Other columns of stronger men they dispatch far off to the right and left so they are not seen by the enemy and in this way they surround them close in so that the fighting begins from all sides”(doc 3). This is not a savage way, this is a well thought out plan. Another example of a powerful and effective strategy is “‘ Genghis khan ordained that the army should be organized in such a way that over ten men should be set one man and he is what we call the captain of ten;over ten of these should be placed one, named captain of a hundred; at the head of ten captains of a hundred is placed a soldier known as a captain of a thousand, and over ten captains of a thousand is

The Pax Mongolica, also known as the Mongol Peace and Pax Tatarica, was brought up at the end of the time of Mongols’ conquests. Western Scholars designated the fourteenth century as the Pax Mongolica. The Pax Mongolica contributed to the development of a new global culture because the Mongol Khans pursued peaceful trade and diplomacy (220). The bubonic plague epidemic of the 1300s led to the destruction of the Mongol Empire because of the deaths it caused; also, the plague had demoralized the living and deprived the Mongol Golden Family of its primary source of support by cutting off trade and tribute (247).

Over time in the 13th century, The Mongolian Empire built their empire rapidly. They originated in Temujin and the name was later first used in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). The Mongolian Empire was a nomadic tribe unified by a universal ruler named Genghis Khan, in the crossing of the Eurasian Steppes. The Empire was a very successful Empire which let a stragerized army that created military tactics using total warfare. The Mongols’ main strategy acquired taking control by force. Khan’s reign over many territories succeeded due to his system of tolerance and localized rule. With the help of Khan as ruler, the Mongols were able to establish a massive empire in their strong military and of their advancements in the Yuan Dynasty.

In this book, Jack Weatherford starts by portraying Temujin and the numerous hardships he faced as a young boy, from his father’s death and Temujin’s upcoming rivalry with the Tatars to his sudden responsibility for his family following his half-brother’s murder. Weatherford then went on to explain the inception and evolvement of Genghis Khan and the Mongolian Empire. Subsequently, he illustrates the positive influences the Mongol Empire had over countries they gained control of ranging from advances in cultural communication to expansions in trade and religious freedom. In the final analysis, the story follows the Mongol Empire and the descendants of Genghis Khan following his death. Weatherford shows the different types of rulers the

Even though some sources very likely exaggerate the number of soldiers, it is still clear that Mongol armies were huge. However, it is not the most important factor when it comes to that army’s capability. Above all the army had extraordinarily skilful archers. As George Lane puts it, they “were famous for their ability to fire their arrows in any direction while mounted and galloping at full speed.” They were also quick to learn new strategies and to adapt new weapons. They got explosives from China and learnt to use them effectively. More importantly, they learnt to besiege cities, which was something they did not initially know how to do effectively. This skill became very important later when they were attacking Khwarezmian Empire.

Genghis Khan established the Mongol empire. He is still called God and Hero of his country. His achievements were incredible because he made the biggest empire ever, and surprisingly established it from a small nomadic tribe. He had great skills in battles, and the amazing talent of the leader. However, when we think that a person is a hero, always we tend to focus on only good aspects of their achievement, for example Christopher Columbus. He took over North American and brutally murdered the Native Americans and still today Americans continue to celebrate Columbus Day. This time, I will focus not on what he has achieved mainly, but what he has done to achieve, because we are more likely to see the achievement. Also, I want to write about

Temujin took the name Genghis Khan, or “universal leader”. When Temujin received the name Genghis Khan which gave him the right to be known as an universal ruler, it also gave him the right to be known as a Mongol god. The tribe’s shaman declared Genghis Khan the representative of Mongke Koko Tengri, the supreme god of the Mongols. Religious was practiced daily in the Mongol Empire, and was highly regarded by every Mongol. To object to any rules of the Great Khan was just as bad as objecting to their god. Genghis Khan was believed to be born in 1155 and died in 1227. He was born in north central Mongolia into the Borjigin tribe. He was named after a Tartar chieftain that his father had captured. Temujin was born with a blood clot in one of his hands. In Mongol folklore this was a sign for Temujin to become a leader. At a young age of nine Temujin’s father was poisoned by the Tartar tribe on trip to meet Temujin’s future bride Borte. Temujin returned home to gain his thrown has clan chief. When he returned Temujin and his family were cast out and treated poorly. At age sixteen Temujin married Borte to create an alliance her tribe, the Konkirat’s, and his own. Now Temujin has finally gained power to rule with.

The movie Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan is a semi-historical film that describes about the early life of Temujin, who later came to be known as Genghis Khan. Likewise, the movie shows brief of his childhood and how he became the Great Khan, but it ends when Temujin finally became Genghis Khan.