Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
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- Create Date：2021-08-24 05:52:17
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Jack Weatherford
- ISBN：0609809644
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Reviews
Nicholas Phillips
，
Loved it！ Narrator is a bit slow if you do the audio book， but there is so much interesting information to be had！
Mert Amasyalı
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Kronik cevirisi korkunc。 Orjinalinden okuyun。
Noah
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Torn between 4 and 5 stars， and maybe on a different day I'd rate it higher， but this was a really excellent book （and from what I understand， THE book， but take that with a grain of salt）。 You can definitely tell how much Weatherford really cares about this subject and the level of work that he's put in。 He's clearly spent a ton of time actually going to these places， really trying to get a real， first-hand experience learning about the subject matter he's writing about。 I think that that's sup Torn between 4 and 5 stars， and maybe on a different day I'd rate it higher， but this was a really excellent book （and from what I understand， THE book， but take that with a grain of salt）。 You can definitely tell how much Weatherford really cares about this subject and the level of work that he's put in。 He's clearly spent a ton of time actually going to these places， really trying to get a real， first-hand experience learning about the subject matter he's writing about。 I think that that's super important and really does come through as he writes about this empire。That said， as Dan Carlin once said， it's hard to read and learn about and be supportive and positive in regards to someone who was responsible for the torment of so many people。 That is not the focus of this book， and I think it's important to note that part of that is because this book was written when there was the beginning of revisionism on Genghis Khan and the Mongol empire。I think that it's important to go into this book understanding that it is an in depth look at one of the most historically important （important =/= "good"） human beings who ever lived， and he certainly was a nuanced， flawed human being and Weatherford does get into that。 However， at points this does read like a list of positive exploits while it glosses over an immense loss and destruction of human life。 I don't think that this should preclude someone from reading this book on its face， because it does offer a lot in the way of interesting history， a well-researched look into culture， and a perspective that one might not have otherwise。 BUT， this book is not perfect， nor does it aim to be。 Take what it is with a grain of salt。I feel like this is preachy， but I did really think this book was interesting and unique， and absolutely worth the read if you're at all interested in history， but read it with a critical eye and remember that nothing is without bias， but that doesn't make it less valuable。It's also told in a very unique way for a history/anthropology book， but I'll leave that to the experience of reading it。Call it 4。5/5， and I will probably return to read it again。 Maybe 。。。more
Bru
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"The Mongols had the power to impose new international systems of technology， agriculture， and knowledge that supersede the predilections or prejudices of any single civilizations; and in so doing they broke the monopoly on thought exercise by local elites。 They created the nucleus of a universal culture and world system which became the modern world system with the original Mongol emphasis on free commerce， open communication， shared knowledge， secular politics， religious coexistence， internati "The Mongols had the power to impose new international systems of technology， agriculture， and knowledge that supersede the predilections or prejudices of any single civilizations; and in so doing they broke the monopoly on thought exercise by local elites。 They created the nucleus of a universal culture and world system which became the modern world system with the original Mongol emphasis on free commerce， open communication， shared knowledge， secular politics， religious coexistence， international law， and diplomatic immunity。" 。。。more
Aleksandar Sarkic
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This was really an enjoyable read。 From start to finish this book will keep you interested， Jack Weatherford writes with curiosity and you can see he is deep into the subject he is exploring。 Many things about Mongols and their empire i knew it before start reading this book but it was majestically put in this book。 From the obsucre beginnings of Mongol nation to their highest peak and demise。 Those nomad herders influenced our world and history like no one before。 It is really good explained by This was really an enjoyable read。 From start to finish this book will keep you interested， Jack Weatherford writes with curiosity and you can see he is deep into the subject he is exploring。 Many things about Mongols and their empire i knew it before start reading this book but it was majestically put in this book。 From the obsucre beginnings of Mongol nation to their highest peak and demise。 Those nomad herders influenced our world and history like no one before。 It is really good explained by Weatherford in the book and i like it that he showed in this book that Mongols were not just bunch of wildmen who are destroying everything on their road。 Yes they didnt had mercy on cities and peoples who didn't want to submit to Mongol rule， but for others they were more open minded and gave them rights like no one before。 Mongols on some things were more advanced than European civilizaton。 They were open to other cultures， religions and their customs， they created trade roads through Asia and were in my opinino proto globalists。 It was amazing how in just 100 years those illiterate nomads became rullling classes of many nations and supported， trade， art， culture， religions。 This book is fantastic read for someone who has for the first time contact with these nomadic culture， but also great enjoyable read for us who were before intersted in Central Asia as a whole。 。。。more
Seth Steinman
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Such a fascinating story about a person， tribe， time， and area of the world we never read about。 In the 1200s， a roaming tribe took over an area 2x bigger than any conquerer in history， United China， and took Baghdad - a feat the crusaders were trying for 200 years and that no one else would achieve til the US in 2003。
Leftbanker
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This is the second time I've read this book and this time around I really appreciate its brilliance。 Sorry historians， if you can't make your subject interesting to the readers， perhaps you'd be more suited to another profession， like as an undertaker？ This history was a blast to read and really filled in a gap in my knowledge of Eastern and Western civilizations。 I reread it as research for something I'm working on and I can only hope that what I write will be this thrilling to read。 This is the second time I've read this book and this time around I really appreciate its brilliance。 Sorry historians， if you can't make your subject interesting to the readers， perhaps you'd be more suited to another profession， like as an undertaker？ This history was a blast to read and really filled in a gap in my knowledge of Eastern and Western civilizations。 I reread it as research for something I'm working on and I can only hope that what I write will be this thrilling to read。 。。。more
Matt
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Fascinating and gorgeously written love letter to the history and culture of the Mongolian people and Empire。 The author himself calls this book a “revisionist” history of Genghis Khan and the Mongols， and while I did learn much I did not know before about the life and origin story of Genghis， I can’t help but feel like the author traps himself in a Xanadu of his own mind’s eye。 It is important to note that the author is an anthropologist， not a historian， and he gets the brunt of his accounting Fascinating and gorgeously written love letter to the history and culture of the Mongolian people and Empire。 The author himself calls this book a “revisionist” history of Genghis Khan and the Mongols， and while I did learn much I did not know before about the life and origin story of Genghis， I can’t help but feel like the author traps himself in a Xanadu of his own mind’s eye。 It is important to note that the author is an anthropologist， not a historian， and he gets the brunt of his accounting from his own interviews and interactions with Mongol scholars and interactions with Mongol sources。 First， the accounts of the expansion of Mongol rule beyond the steppes and into Europe， China， and the Middle East seem to favor the Mongols as harbingers of noble living; the telling suddenly exudes a kind of Eurasian “manifest destiny” framing which is both problematic and contradictory to the author’s persistent Mongols as nomadic isolationists theme。 Second， most of the instances when the Mongol warriors， Khan， or a family member do something heinous， this book commits the “what-about” sin of pointing out any heinous thing some of the European polities were up to at the same time， as if to justify their actions in context。 Third， many of the atrocities committed by the Mongol warriors and Khans （particularly the sacking and complete destruction of Baghdad） were simply glossed over， or the agency removed from the Mongols and placed usually on a European force。 In fact， many of the times the author would tell us there is “little information available” when the account did not paint a Mongol warrior/khan/general in a positive light。 That being said， I do highly recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about the fascinating and significant Mongol Empire。 。。。more
Matthew Maggiacomo
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This book brings you through the life of Genghis Khan， the rise and fall of the Mongol Empire， and it’s influence on the wider world in a way that makes it feel like one entertaining and informative story。It definitely went against many of my preconceived ideas of the Ancient Mongols from what I had heard and learned in school。 Some examples of this are， that while I mostly had the idea that the Mongols were more of just brutes and conquerors this book taught that， That Mongol’s valued people ba This book brings you through the life of Genghis Khan， the rise and fall of the Mongol Empire， and it’s influence on the wider world in a way that makes it feel like one entertaining and informative story。It definitely went against many of my preconceived ideas of the Ancient Mongols from what I had heard and learned in school。 Some examples of this are， that while I mostly had the idea that the Mongols were more of just brutes and conquerors this book taught that， That Mongol’s valued people based on their merits not lineage， established a census and the first postal system， established paper currency， were against much of the torture that was seen in other parts of the world， and had generally high levels of gender equality and religious toleration for the time。In addition to this， while I learned in school that the Mongol Empire fell apart very quickly after Genghis Khan’s death， this book shows that his death was only the beginning of Mongol rule， and Mongol influence on the world。 。。。more
Delores
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A wonderful read， both in terms of the narrative writing and the new historical analysis of Genghis and his descendants after the discovery of the Secret History of the Mongol khan。 Truly eye-opening。 Makes a counter-argument that the West and its culture was not and is not the greatest influencer of the modern world。 So much for the Western Colonial blame-game。 Talk about subjugation--no group has done it better or more quickly than the Mongols did it。 Genghis Khan was at the forefront of democ A wonderful read， both in terms of the narrative writing and the new historical analysis of Genghis and his descendants after the discovery of the Secret History of the Mongol khan。 Truly eye-opening。 Makes a counter-argument that the West and its culture was not and is not the greatest influencer of the modern world。 So much for the Western Colonial blame-game。 Talk about subjugation--no group has done it better or more quickly than the Mongols did it。 Genghis Khan was at the forefront of democratic ideas and government。 Did you know that？ If you didn't， read this history。 。。。more
Teejay
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This book flipped my preconceived notions of the Mongols completely on its head。 I *knew* that the Mongolian Empire brought an exchange of ideas， goods， etc。 between Europe， Asia， and the Middle East。 I didn't realize the true extent of the exchange and the full impact this brief empire had on the world。 Nor did I truly grasp the negative campaigns against Asians （specifically the Mongols） by the Europeans as well as Communist China and Russia。 Very interesting stuff。The first part of the book i This book flipped my preconceived notions of the Mongols completely on its head。 I *knew* that the Mongolian Empire brought an exchange of ideas， goods， etc。 between Europe， Asia， and the Middle East。 I didn't realize the true extent of the exchange and the full impact this brief empire had on the world。 Nor did I truly grasp the negative campaigns against Asians （specifically the Mongols） by the Europeans as well as Communist China and Russia。 Very interesting stuff。The first part of the book is all about the life of Genghis Khan and how he formed the empire。 The second part delves into his descendants and their affect on the empire。 The last part deals with the decline of the empire and up to modern day。 Weatherford is an archaeologist and worked with a team of folks translating ancient texts as well as pulling in other writings about Genghis Khan。 However， it doesn't read like a dry history book。 It almost felt like reading a fiction book， but then you remember this is history。Definitely worth your time if you're at all curious about Genghis Khan and/or the Mongolian Empire。 。。。more
Annette
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This book is actually about Genghis Khan and his descendants and the impact they had throughout Eurasia。 "The Making of the Modern World" is probably an overstatement， but the Mongols' influence was much greater than I expected。 I certainly have a different view of them than I did before reading this book。 The author's writing style is very readable， and the descriptions of battles are not overly technical。 All in all， an interesting read。 This book is actually about Genghis Khan and his descendants and the impact they had throughout Eurasia。 "The Making of the Modern World" is probably an overstatement， but the Mongols' influence was much greater than I expected。 I certainly have a different view of them than I did before reading this book。 The author's writing style is very readable， and the descriptions of battles are not overly technical。 All in all， an interesting read。 。。。more
Aaron
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This was a bit of a letdown。 It was not written in a very engaging style that I prefer。 It was much more scholarly and academic while relying upon pretty spotty historical documentation for some of its details。 Just too dry for my tastes。
Daniel Gonzalez
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This book is a must read in particular for any western educated not knowing much about the topic （Me。。）， GK is certainly the single human Beeing with the most real impact on the history of mankind。 The author is certainly far too kind in his judgment of his dark sides but what a story and how well told。
Ellen
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I only got a little over half-way through this but I don't think I'll finish it so I'll go ahead and review it。 It was very interesting。 I knew very little about Genghis Khan and the Mongols before reading this and now I feel like I have a better appreciation for them。 Saying that， it wasn't really a book that I was ever in the mood to read。 Once I started it， I enjoyed it but it was tough getting myself to pick it up。 I only got a little over half-way through this but I don't think I'll finish it so I'll go ahead and review it。 It was very interesting。 I knew very little about Genghis Khan and the Mongols before reading this and now I feel like I have a better appreciation for them。 Saying that， it wasn't really a book that I was ever in the mood to read。 Once I started it， I enjoyed it but it was tough getting myself to pick it up。 。。。more
Deivaraj
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The book presents an interesting account on how Genghis Khan shaped the world he lived in and thereby the world we live today。 The book could have been far more crisp to make an interesting read。
Be C Laire
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For a novice reader of Mongolian history， Jack Weatherford has written an interesting， readable and relatable book。 I was fascinated by the material I was introduced to: Weatherford opened up a whole new world for me。 For a critique on the material presented and the inferences Weatherford makes of the material， I cannot comment。
D。R。 Oestreicher
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What do you know about Genghis Khan？ Jack Weatherford’s goal is to set you straight。 Genghis Khan was for free trade， freedom of religion， multiculturalism， and equal law enforcement。 He opposed torture and nobility。 He introduced universal education and literacy by building schools。 He supported women’s rights and secular governments。 For a period in the 13th century， he brought peace and prosperity to Eastern Europe and Asia。 Are you surprised？ Read Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern Wo What do you know about Genghis Khan？ Jack Weatherford’s goal is to set you straight。 Genghis Khan was for free trade， freedom of religion， multiculturalism， and equal law enforcement。 He opposed torture and nobility。 He introduced universal education and literacy by building schools。 He supported women’s rights and secular governments。 For a period in the 13th century， he brought peace and prosperity to Eastern Europe and Asia。 Are you surprised？ Read Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World to learn the real story of this great man。For my expanded notes: https://1book42day。blogspot。com/2021/。。。“As an Amazon Associate， I earn from qualifying purchases。”Check out https://amzn。to/2SpaDMN to see my books。Check out https://amazon。com/shop/influencer-20。。。 for book recommendations。 。。。more
Lillian
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Took about a month to read and I am so happy I did。 If you love history this is a great book！ Really eye opening and interesting。
Adrian
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The last chapter was the best。 The book was a little slow and tedious， even for a history book。 I still came away with a deeper appreciation and understanding of the Mongolian Empire。 They're under-appreciated in the West and aren't given their due which is unfortunate considering how much of an impact their contributions had to shaping the modern world。 This book left me wanting to learn more。 The last chapter was the best。 The book was a little slow and tedious， even for a history book。 I still came away with a deeper appreciation and understanding of the Mongolian Empire。 They're under-appreciated in the West and aren't given their due which is unfortunate considering how much of an impact their contributions had to shaping the modern world。 This book left me wanting to learn more。 。。。more
Đào Hương
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Một góc nhìn thực sự rất hay về nhân vật Thành Cát Tư Hãn và những tác động của đế chế Mông Cổ đến sự hình thành thế giới hiện đại。 Highly recommend cho ai yêu thích văn hóa và lịch sử。
Joseph M
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Who would have thought you could read an entire book about G。 Khan that doesn't use the word "rape"？ Who would have thought you could read an entire book about G。 Khan that doesn't use the word "rape"？ 。。。more
Neila
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Except for the cheesy epilogue that glorifies Genghis Khan， the rest of the book is pretty informative and follows an easy narrative。 My only issue with it is the almost complete lack of any mention of Mongol Queens and any other women。 Knowing that the author wrote another book just on that topic， unsure that those can be separate， I cannot really see it as a tribute to Mongol queens but more as a ploy to sell more books… Overall besides some lengthy descriptions and rare but nonetheless presen Except for the cheesy epilogue that glorifies Genghis Khan， the rest of the book is pretty informative and follows an easy narrative。 My only issue with it is the almost complete lack of any mention of Mongol Queens and any other women。 Knowing that the author wrote another book just on that topic， unsure that those can be separate， I cannot really see it as a tribute to Mongol queens but more as a ploy to sell more books… Overall besides some lengthy descriptions and rare but nonetheless present repetitions， if you’re interested in the history of medieval Asia and the Mongolian Empire， I would recommend this book！ NB: Only half of it is about Genghis Khan， the second half is about his descendants and the further expansion of the empire。 。。。more
Cynda
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At GR Nonfiction Book Club we intentionally select a non-European， non North American book to read。 This book has long been on my tbr， something that I knew would be both informative and accessible， A lighter non-academic talk up on a topic I am unfamiliar with。How is it that we in the West know much of Steele culture？ About the great civilizations held together with shared information， skills， and wisdom。 The language culture of the Arab/Moors ruled by the Khans informed the culture of Spain as At GR Nonfiction Book Club we intentionally select a non-European， non North American book to read。 This book has long been on my tbr， something that I knew would be both informative and accessible， A lighter non-academic talk up on a topic I am unfamiliar with。How is it that we in the West know much of Steele culture？ About the great civilizations held together with shared information， skills， and wisdom。 The language culture of the Arab/Moors ruled by the Khans informed the culture of Spain as it entered the Renassiance。 Without the Khans encouraging those in the know to share their knowledge and encourage others to spread it， Spain would not have been the powerhouse it was a brilliant moment and several glowing centuries。 The North American South West would have been very different。Bowing to the People of the Steepe。 Namaste。 。。。more
Brian
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Turns out， I am not as interested in Genghis Khan as I thought I would be。
Heidi Schramm
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Very well researched and I liked how Weatherford paired with world history events such as the Black Death and Enlightenment for example。
Mator DeLoon
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"The first key to leadership is self control。"This book was full of thought-provoking wisdoms。 Apart from the history of Genghis Khan， who was fighting his way to power on the remote steppes of Mongolia， Genghis Khan developed revolutionary military strategies and weaponry that emphasized rapid attack and siege warfare， which he then brilliantly used to overwhelm opposing armies in Asia， break the back of the Islamic world， and render the armored knights of Europe obsolete。 Under Genghis Khan， t "The first key to leadership is self control。"This book was full of thought-provoking wisdoms。 Apart from the history of Genghis Khan， who was fighting his way to power on the remote steppes of Mongolia， Genghis Khan developed revolutionary military strategies and weaponry that emphasized rapid attack and siege warfare， which he then brilliantly used to overwhelm opposing armies in Asia， break the back of the Islamic world， and render the armored knights of Europe obsolete。 Under Genghis Khan， the Mongol army never numbered more than 100，000 warriors， yet it subjugated more lands and people in twenty-five years than the Romans conquered in four hundred。 With an empire that stretched from Siberia to India， from Vietnam to Hungary， and from Korea to the Balkans， the Mongols dramatically redrew the map of the globe， connecting disparate kingdoms into a new world order。But contrary to popular wisdom， Weatherford reveals that the Mongols were not just masters of conquest， but possessed a genius for progressive and benevolent rule。 On every level and from any perspective， the scale and scope of Genghis Khan’s accomplishments challenge the limits of imagination。 Genghis Khan was an innovative leader， the first ruler in many conquered countries to put the power of law above his own power， encourage religious freedom， create public schools， grant diplomatic immunity， abolish torture， and institute free trade。 The trade routes he created became lucrative pathways for commerce， but also for ideas， technologies， and expertise that transformed the way people lived。 The Mongols introduced the first international paper currency and postal system and developed and spread revolutionary technologies like printing， the cannon， compass， and abacus。 They took local foods and products like lemons， carrots， noodles， tea， rugs， playing cards， and pants and turned them into staples of life around the world。 The Mongols were the architects of a new way of life at a pivotal time in history。 。。。more
Toby Brennen
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Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford details the story of the early life， unlikely rise to power and authority， and subsequent multi-generational impact of of the man the world calls Genghis Khan。Weatherford provides insight into the life and culture of the early nomadic people of the steppes of Asia， as well as the cultural impacts still felt today that resulted from the society that Genghis Khan promulgated。 The author weaves an intricate and exciting story about Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford details the story of the early life， unlikely rise to power and authority， and subsequent multi-generational impact of of the man the world calls Genghis Khan。Weatherford provides insight into the life and culture of the early nomadic people of the steppes of Asia， as well as the cultural impacts still felt today that resulted from the society that Genghis Khan promulgated。 The author weaves an intricate and exciting story about the rise and fall of the Mongol Empire。 Intertwining with more recognizable milestones of European and Middle Eastern world history， the Mongol story is unfolded。 Whether factually valid or not， it is very evident early that Weatherford is more than just presenting history but is a fan and advocate of this amazing culture which adds color and bias to some of his presentation。Wonderful book。 [4/5] 。。。more
Jordan
，
Плоско и наивно пропагандно памфлетче， в общи линии на ниво спараток
Kaggwa Andrew
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