Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, Book Review Example

Genghis Khan and the making of the modern world (New York: Crown Publishers, 2004) pp. 312. ISBN: 0609610627 by Jack Weatherford.

Genghis khan is a name often connected with destruction but in the last couple of years, the name Genghis Khan has been painted with new image by rubbing off the bad image of destruction. In Mongolia, not including the period of communism, Genghis Khan had a good character just because without Him, Mongolia would not have existed. Because of these activities, Jack Weatherford decided to publish the book; Genghis khan and the making of the modern world which has transformed the literature of the Mongols (Weatherford, 2004).

The writer of this book has written many books meant for non academic arena. Weatherford has written in an interesting style that has made many academicians to admire him. The book captures the attention of readers because the author mixes narratives in his work.

In his introduction part, Weatherford focuses main point is that the world began to transform during the medieval times to modern one because of the existence of the Mongols. He embraces how the Mongols managed to conquer an empire that was too strong in the area. This domination of the Mongolians was facilitated by the fact that their population was growing at high rate. The author moves on to show how Genghis Khan the Mongolian leader unified them.

The book shows how he attacked Khwarazmian Empire dictating His might and how he rose to power. More so, the Mongols perceived war differently in that to them gaining victory over your enemies gave you much honor than the tactics you used in war and this is what gave them the stamina to conquer the world easily.

It is important to note that the Mongol empire stretched out of Mongolia. At this stage, we find the Mongol soldiers in Asia, Middle East and Europe. This section exposes us to see how Mongol army was controlled as compared to those of there opponents who claimed to be civilized and tortured their prisoners so much. The other stage of this book is that which reveals how Mongolian empire impacted on the world (Weatherford, 2003).

In this book, Weatherford shows the connections between the age of reason, Mongols and the rise of Europe. The Mongolian empire was governed by the principle freedom of religion, money, state law and global law that dominated there daily lives that made them prosper.

Weatherford is a brave writer; he organizes his work in an attractive narrative by showing how the Mongolians became agents of destruction in Europe during the age of reason despite the fact that they were associated with development, he blends his points in systematic and understandable manner (Weatherford, 2003).

The author is not accurate in his writing as demonstrated in his argument that the Mongolians used the gunpowder during war. While according to Arabic sources, there is no indication of use of such arsenal by the Mongols. Another mistake that Weatherford makes in his writing is that he is sloppy. For instance, he says that Timur dominated the Seljuk kingdom. This is not true because the Seljuk’s never existed but rather Timur conquered the sultan of Bayazid. In addition, he uses the name Genghis Khan instead of the real name Chinggis Khan that is accepted as the correct spelling in academic world (Weatherford, 2004).

Genghis Khan can be compared to Joseph Nye who proposed the use soft powers that meant success in world politics. He applauds the use of economic interests and military powers to suppress the acts of terrorism just like Genghis Khan decided to use force to change the people he captured during the war.

In a nut shell, errors committed in this book are subject to change. The book is unsuitable to be used in class but for any historian who interest in studying history, the book provides a good overview of the Asians in ancient times. The book has a place in the literature of the Mongols who have impacted the world in many ways from war to technology.

References

Weatherford, J. (2003). Genghis Khan and the making of modern world. Kansas: Crown   Publishers.

Weatherford, J. (2004). Genghis Khan and the making of the modern world. New York:    Random House Inc.