A highly readable account of the life, death and legacy of Temujin. This book should have been called “A Short History of the Mongol Empire,” because that is what Weatherford presents. From background on the Mongol cultural milieu to Temujin’s early family struggles, to his conquests of China, Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe to the rapid dismembering of the Empire under his heirs this history is fast-paced and precise. Information is drawn primarily from the less well-known (in English) Secret History, written by the Mongols themselves, but Persian, Chinese, Russian and Franciscan sources are also used. Weatherford adds details from his own experiences in modern Mongolia. This book does an excellent job describing just how Temujin came to think like the Great Khan he is remembered as. This is also a great look at the military techniques that made the Mongols so successful across 5,000 miles of Eurasia. This is not a book about how everything good was invented by the Mongols or how their policies are still in use today, but it is a persuasive argument that they deserve more credit for laying the groundwork of the 1500s (in East and West) than they currently receive. Fans of history generally and of Asian history especially should give it a read.
12 May 2010
A Review: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World – Jack Weatherford
4.5 / 5 Stars
A highly readable account of the life, death and legacy of Temujin. This book should have been called “A Short History of the Mongol Empire,” because that is what Weatherford presents. From background on the Mongol cultural milieu to Temujin’s early family struggles, to his conquests of China, Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe to the rapid dismembering of the Empire under his heirs this history is fast-paced and precise. Information is drawn primarily from the less well-known (in English) Secret History, written by the Mongols themselves, but Persian, Chinese, Russian and Franciscan sources are also used. Weatherford adds details from his own experiences in modern Mongolia. This book does an excellent job describing just how Temujin came to think like the Great Khan he is remembered as. This is also a great look at the military techniques that made the Mongols so successful across 5,000 miles of Eurasia. This is not a book about how everything good was invented by the Mongols or how their policies are still in use today, but it is a persuasive argument that they deserve more credit for laying the groundwork of the 1500s (in East and West) than they currently receive. Fans of history generally and of Asian history especially should give it a read.
A highly readable account of the life, death and legacy of Temujin. This book should have been called “A Short History of the Mongol Empire,” because that is what Weatherford presents. From background on the Mongol cultural milieu to Temujin’s early family struggles, to his conquests of China, Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe to the rapid dismembering of the Empire under his heirs this history is fast-paced and precise. Information is drawn primarily from the less well-known (in English) Secret History, written by the Mongols themselves, but Persian, Chinese, Russian and Franciscan sources are also used. Weatherford adds details from his own experiences in modern Mongolia. This book does an excellent job describing just how Temujin came to think like the Great Khan he is remembered as. This is also a great look at the military techniques that made the Mongols so successful across 5,000 miles of Eurasia. This is not a book about how everything good was invented by the Mongols or how their policies are still in use today, but it is a persuasive argument that they deserve more credit for laying the groundwork of the 1500s (in East and West) than they currently receive. Fans of history generally and of Asian history especially should give it a read.
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