The Mongols : Barbaric Or Barbarians In The World

Some people would say the Mongols were a key development to civilization. However, the progress they made is nothing compared to their cruelty and the process they used to conquer the majority of Asia and parts of the Middle East. The Mongols were originally a small, nomadic tribe that originated from the steppes of Central Asia. The tribe placed little value on objects, considering they moved around in yurts and hardly settled. Led by Genghis Khan, they conquered land worth double the size of the Roman Empire. The Mongols were greedy, bloodthirsty barbarians who had little to no regard for human life. They went to unthinkable lengths to conquer land while destroying countless ancient cities.

The Mongol Empire had many impacts on modern day Asia and other parts of the world. Genghis Khan led an empire from the steppes of Asia during the 13th century, called the Mongols. They conquered a lot of land, from to Korea to Poland, and also from Vietnam to Syria. Because they ‘terrorized’ much of Asia, they were known as barbarians. They were thought to live beyond civilization, and known as evil. The Mongolians of the Asian Steppe had a negative impact on the world during their rule of the Asian continent from 1206 to 1368 by influencing violence, destruction, and the falling of cities.

Many historians have been interested in the ancient Mongols and the impact they have had on our life today. One of the big questions they have been exploring is if the Mongols had a positive or negative impact on the world during their rule in Asia. The Mongolians of the Asian Steppe had a negative impact on the world during their rule of the Asian continent from 1206 to 1368 by influencing the overrule of Asia, strict rules, and harshness.

I do not believe that the Mongols were uncivilized Human beings. As stated during the trial the Mongols, Genghis Khan, in particular, was not raised as the people of the great empires were, so what may have seemed as civilized to the Mongols was deemed as barbaric by others. In today's society if a person from a higher class was to go visit a third world country, some of the customs may seem as uncivilized, but to the resident of the country these “barbaric” customs are the norm. While the Mongols did murder, pillage, and rape people, they also brought advanced technologies and a safer trade system for the people. Genghis Khan globalized the world, expanded trade and made trade safer. Through trade cultures, techniques and ideas spread. Not only were the empires that were already incorporated with the trade systems positively affected, but specifically Europe benefited the most from the trade that was facilitated by the Mongols. While the murders was a definite loss for the people the great advancements had a greater long-term positive effect. At the cost of human lives came centuries

Positively, the Mongols were great conquerors and they respected each other, negatively, they brutally harmed people and valuables in the process. Charles J. Halperin wonderfully stated, “The Mongol Empire made significant contributions to the political institutions, economic development, and cultural diversity of many lands. No history of the Mongol Empire dwells only on Mongol destruction, can be satisfactory” (Doc 6). The history of the Mongols can’t only be about the negativity that they caused to society as the Mongols had a more positive impact rather than a negative impact. The Mongols created a vast empire throughout Eurasia, but it wasn’t worth killing over 5 million people in the process. In the end, as a result of the vast empire, they weren’t able to control it. Eventually, the Mongol empire and became a part of the society in the area and vanished

Many historians have different views on whether the Mongols had a positive or negative affect on the world during their time period. Over the course of their rule the Mongols had a couple of powerful leaders that brought different views and ideas of what an empire should look like, and how it should be run. Genghis Khan ruled from 1206 to 1227 A.D. He brought great military strengths that helped them conquer a lot of land. After his death in 1227 A.D. many rulers had come and gone. In 1271 A.D. Genghis’ grandson took charge. He had a different approach to ruling the empire. Unlike Genghis he was not a military leader, but rather a “business man” that helped increase foreign trade. Overall the Mongolians of the Asian Steppe had a positive impact on the world during their rule of the Asian continent from 1206 to 1368 by influencing trade, inventions, and unification amongst China.

Powerful both militarily and culturally, the Mongols were a fearless and influential group who dominated Asia and Eastern Europe during the thirteenth century. Their success in acquiring land was no doubt the result of their domination on the battlefield. The Mongols often fought on horseback and surrounded their enemies, an incredibly efficient battle tactic. In his text, Genghis Khan: The History of the World Conqueror, Ata-Malik Juvaini states that the Mongols invaded the land and destroyed villages and that they would not let a single living creature live, even if it were the purest of cat or dog (Doc 4). Their battle techniques, as well as their severe punishments, and ability to conquer vast amounts of land gave the

Throughout the 13th century world, the Mongols constantly showed displays of continuous violence, drinking, brutality and unfair treatment. They were considered to be savages, and people who lived far beyond what we would know as a “civilized world.” They single handedly became one of, if not the most powerful empires to have existed, building their empire through violent and barbaric manors. The Mongols were very barbaric people, for they portrayed many inhumane and mannerless actions while their empire lasted, causing death destruction and the downfall of all of the land they took over.

The world has viewed the Mongols as destructive barbarians; however, the Mongols viewed themselves as soldiers. The perception of themselves is important because they did not believe it was destructive to unite a world empire. They believed that because they were soldiers, anyone in their path could be taken down by force. The nations that defined Mongols as destructive are the same people that resisted joining their empire. The Mongol’s obsession with power, dedication to their leader, and their need to possess land is why I believe they should not be remembered as destructive barbarians. Instead, I think they should be known as the empire that failed to unite the world.

The major legacies of the Mongol rule in the Islamic world are that they supported trade, built roads, increased religious tolerance, further advanced in medicine and astronomy and built paper money. They reopened four major trade routes which were closed – Silk Road, sea route from China to Persian Gulf, Siberian Route and an alternate route from lower Volga. The four major legacies of Genghis Khan, the founder of Mongol empire were tolerance, written language, legal code and trade and crafts.

The Mongols were very harsh and brutal like no one else in their era but I believe that they are not barbarians. The Mongols had a strong dominating military that was almost always successful, they contributed to many of the ideas that are still around today, and made a very stern set of laws that kept their community civilized which is why I believe that the Mongols were not barbarians.

Though the mongols were seemingly barbaric in the way which they conquered their territory, the empire they established was advanced in how its society and culture were organized and developed.

The Mongols were barbaric because of how they lived. This tribe lived in a manner as if they were outside the reach of civilization which is a definition of the word “barbarian”. For example, in the backround essay, it writes, “They knew little about mining and cared nothing about farming. They were nomadic people who lived off the meat, milk and hide of horses, and the meat and wool of sheep,” (119). This evidence shows that the Mongols did not focus on the building of civilization or long term living but on surviving now and hunting animals for what they need.

Despite however civilized some thought the Mongols were, they were barbaric for three distinct reasons: they used psychological warfare to manipulate the minds of their enemies; even worse, they caused mass destruction to many cities/countries in the Eastern Hemisphere during leader Genghis Khan’s rule; however, most catastrophic of all, they killed about 40 million people throughout their reign (Andrei). According to the online dictionary, barbaric can be defined as savagely cruel and/or exceedingly brutal. If destroying innocent people’s homes and killing tens of millions of people is not barbaric, nothing is.

According to background essay on the Mongols “The Mongols were a small tribe during the 13th century. They were from the grasslands of Central Asia and conquered much of the known world.” They also said that “They operate from the backs of horses and sometimes use siege weapons. The essay also explained how the Mongols were one of the several nomadic peoples who competed with one another for pasture land and livestock. They also had no metal working, no written language, and no permanent homes. The Mongols also were first led by Genghis Khan and did not have a good reputation. The Mongols may have been successful but it was do to mostly negative examples and information. The Mongols were although positive in a way. For example their Yam System, to make them go faster and farther. However, this example and many other positive examples are ways for the Mongols to fight better and kill more people. The Mongols were barbaric because they were brutal and ruthless.