Genghis Khan Book Review

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World Jack Weatherford’s narrative Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World attempts to portray Genghis Khan and his legacy in a new light. To do this, Weatherford breaks the book down into three sections. He explains the rise of Genghis Khan and his life ideologies in the first and the expansion and military effectiveness of the Mongol Empire in the second. The theme of the third section and the overall most important focus of the book is the impact of the Mongols on the world. Weatherford believes Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire were extremely pivotal in shaping the modern world and this is the main argument of his book. Arguably, the Mongol legacy was the dominant force that shaped Eurasia and consequently the modern world. Not for what they destroyed, (although they wrought much destruction all over the continent), but for what they built. From inauspicious beginnings Genghis Khan rose to greatness and left an impact on many aspects of life that we still feel to this day. Genghis Khan was not born into riches or power, nor did he receive a formal education. Instead he was the son of an outcast family surrounded by tribal violence and enslavement. In the words of the author, “Fate did not hand Genghis Khan his destiny; he made if for himself” (Weatherford 16). Genghis Khan conquered twice as many countries, people, and land as any other man in history. According to Weatherford “In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated merchants, had been founded by one of its illiterate slaves, who, by the sheer force of personality, charisma, and determination, liberated America from foreign rule, united the people, wrote the constitution, established universal religious freedom, invented a new system of warfare, and opened roads of commerce that stretched across continents” (Weatherford 18). The majority of people