Reddit reviews Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
We found 38 Reddit comments about Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Great product!
I would imagine Genghis Khan. The man did pretty much kill, rape, a lay siege across the world. If you're Iranian, you REALLY don't like him. But he also instituted the Pax Mongolica.
His legacy is mostly negative from western perspectives but he and his empire are much more nuanced than the typical portrayal of him as a simple warlord that wanted nothing more than death and destruction.
I'm also going to include a comment by /u/AlienJelly that might get buried:
> If you're interested in Genghis Khan, you should read Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. It paints him in a different light than we are used to seeing him in . At the end of the book you can decide for yourself what kind of guy Genghis Khan was. The author came to give a talk at my school.
> I also like listening to Dan Carlin - he has a Hardcore History podcast on Genghis Khan that gets mentioned when he is brought up.
> And if you still can't get enough on Genghis Khan, there's a good movie on available on youtube worth watching.
Jack Weatherford's Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World.
Genghis practiced a meritocracy form of government which means that Genghis chose those to be in positions of power based on merit not blood or obligation. The main body of this government was the Kurultai a council of Mongol chiefs headed by Genghis himself. All people within the Empire had to adhere the Yasa which were the laws of the Mongols that Genghis had modified and enforced in the Empire. The citizens of the Mongol Empire were free to practice any religion that they pleased, which helped people accept his rule more rapidly. The infrastructure of the Empire was amazing, it was an infrastructure that may have inadvertently triggered the Italian Renaissance because of the spread of knowledge and technology throughout Asia and Europe. Word traveled quickly thanks to the Yam, genghis' horse driven messenger. Traders of the Silk Road were protected and allowed to travel easily from country to country (though the golden age of the Silk Road would not come to pass until the rule of Kublai Khan). Genghis had an almost laissez faire approach to ruling he knew that if he tried to change too much in the lands that he conquered he would have constantly had to keep ruled lands in check. There's was no need for this of course, genghis launched many of his territories forward economically and even those whose economy was crippled because of them, i.e. Baghdad, were still pacified completely thanks to the military genius of Genghis Khan.
Edit for clarification: The Yasa was not created by Genghis only modified. I was referring to Genghis' war with the Caliph not Hulagu Khan's sacking of Baghdad, should have made that more clear. And I know it's only a theory but in my opinion the spread of technology because of the expansion of the Mongol Empire was one of the causes of the Italians Renaissance due to the combination of Asian and European influence that helped start the Renaissance.
For more information please refer to this book.
If you're interested in Genghis Khan, you should read Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. It paints him in a different light than we are used to seeing him in. When I read this book for a college course, it was the first time I realized how amazing learning about history can be. The author even came to give a talk at my school.
Now to get my history fix, I listen to Dan Carlin - he has a Hardcore History podcast on Genghis Khan that gets mentioned on reddit when he is brought up.
And if you still can't get enough on Genghis Khan, there's a good movie available on youtube worth watching
You cannot judge history through the standards we hold today. If you are going to place Genghis Khan on the mass murderer list, I hope you're putting every other major ruler who participated in any major military operation prior to 1700. Alexander The Great, Julius Caesar, New World Explorers, any ancient Chinese emperor, etc.
For those interested in a good read.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0609809644/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1465043989&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=genghis+khan
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World states that each Mongol had multiple horses. I believe the number was closer to three or four.
EDIT: Here is a direct source for the 3-4 horses claim: http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/conquests/khans_horses.pdf
A fascinating read: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
That book is incredibly interesting for anyone concerned. Really sheds a ton of light on how much modern civilization owes to the Mongol empire.
Highly suggest it
Genghis Khan. He came from nothing, was kidnapped multiple times as a kid and promoted free religion and science. This is an EXCELLENT book.
http://www.amazon.com/Genghis-Khan-Making-Modern-World/dp/0609809644/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292968337&sr=8-1
He's often demonized because he's really the only person to push into the west from the unknown East
Actually, you're pretty much on point with that. Though he came from an even lower rung in society's ladder. For about 4 months (i think) he was literally a slave. Then he was a fugative. Yada yada yada: Leader of the largest contingent empire ever to exist. Read this or anything by Jack Weatherford. It's a really quick read and details how much of a major BAMF Genghis Khan was.
Read this
I remember a book that was recommended to me that sadly I never had time to read: Ghengis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. I don't know enough about it to say if it includes other horse cultures or not.
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World is a fascinating and relatively quick read on his life and the history of the empire he created. I highly recommend it.
Although Genghis Khan did possibly kill up to 40 million people, the lasting impact of the Mongolian empire and subsequent Great Khans effectively changed the world for the better in the long run. Before him, China and Europe had almost zero knowledge of each other's existence, his empire was one of the first without a nationally imposed religion, and he changed warfare completely.
Source:
40 million deaths: http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-genghis-khan (I know this is a terrible source but whatever.)
Effects on the world: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World https://www.amazon.com/dp/0609809644/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_u1LFwbEW9C5SP
I was a huge fan of:
https://www.amazon.com/Genghis-Khan-Making-Modern-World/dp/0609809644/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
A few years ago I bought this book to read on a flight back home from the UK. The whole time i had this image of these badass mongals riding around on massive steeds, shooting arrows and sweeping across Asia. That bubble has been burst. I now have this image of tiny men riding tiny horses and shooting tiny arrows. It's almost adorable except they kicked so much ass.
>Yeah... i haven't anything said about the khans except about the brutality.
Right, except for this book, which Reddit often slavishly praises:
>The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in twenty-five years than the Romans did in four hundred. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization. Vastly more progressive than his European or Asian counterparts, Genghis Khan abolished torture, granted universal religious freedom, and smashed feudal systems of aristocratic privilege. From the story of his rise through the tribal culture to the explosion of civilization that the Mongol Empire unleashed, this brilliant work of revisionist history is nothing less than the epic story of how the modern world was made.
Yea, and Hitler built the Autobahn!!1! \s
Read an American or European history textbook and tell me that Genghis Khan is viewed in the same light as Hitler.
>Liking. The swastika is different than naming your shop Hitler. Slick.
Are you just inserting random periods now?
Here is a restaurant called Genghis.
Here is a MongoDB app called Genghis
There's this movie on Genghis Khan, which, while very well produced and made, still glorifies a bloodthirsty barbarian.
>I have a different.view, i view any admiration of a mass murderer as insane. Deal with it.
insane- in a state of mind that prevents normal perception, behavior, or social interaction; seriously mentally ill.
Then I must disagree. Indians who glorify Hitler are merely acting from within their cultural contexts. They're not insane; maybe ignorant, but definitely not insane.
I get it: To Westerners, Hitler is the end-all and be-all of Evil. He is the Worst, with a capital W. You find it literally unfathomable that anyone before or after him could be remotely as Bad. That's because that's what you're taught in school. Indian textbooks don't really stress that as much. Is that a bad thing? Of course. Is that worse than Western textbooks glorifying Churchill, Genghis, etc.? Not particularly.
>And putting. Churchill. In the same ballpark shows how much you know. It's not much
Then you haven't heard of the Bengal famine
As taken from Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
​
> The Chinese noted with surprise and disgust the ability of the Mongol warriors to survive on little food and water for long periods; according to one, the entire army could camp without a single puff of smoke since they needed no fires to cook. Compared to the Jurched soldiers, the Mongols were much healthier and stronger. The Mongols consumed a steady diet of meat, milk, yogurt, and other diary products, and they fought men who lived on gruel made from various grains. The grain diet of the peasant warriors stunted their bones, rotted their teeth, and left them weak and prone to disease. In contrast, the poorest Mongol soldier ate mostly protein, thereby giving him strong teeth and bones. Unlike the Jurched soldiers, who were dependent on a heavy carbohydrate diet, the Mongols could more easily go a day or two without food.
Veganism made for weak men.
Yeah, I was just making a stupid joke.
As for the Islamic view of Genghis Khan, it depends on perspective. Genghis Khan was tolerant of Muslims and even sought after their intellectuals. But he also destroyed their populations. A lot of the estimates of the deaths caused by Genghis Khan's conquest are exaggerated, but that doesn't really affect the perception in much of the Muslim world. There are also a lot of dubious claims as to Genghis Khan's brutality.
It's true, from any perspective, that the Mongol conquest put an end to a long period of Muslim prosperity. Since the days of Mohammed, they had seen very few serious military losses. The common belief among Muslims prior to Genghis Khan was that their prosperity and military success was undeniable proof of the validity of their beliefs. They felt that Allah had blessed them with the ability to win battles and spread their religion. So Genghis Khan turned their world upside down.
All of my understanding of Genghis Khan and Muslim history come from Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World and Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes, both of which I highly recommend.
• "Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World" (Jack Weatherford) is my all-time and all-categories favourite. Temudjin is a turbo ENTJ, the books reads like a thrilling novel and provide great insights at every page, and there is wisdom in every episode of the Khan's life and even after his life (the chapters of how and why the Mongol empires collapses are a serious lesson to be considered at all times). This book just has everything in it: a catching history, a great writing, emotions, lessons for life, insights of a great man who happens to have been "like us" and even if it's quite long, you dread for the end to happen every page you turn, and that is a feeling I rarely had.
• "How to Make Millions Without a Degree" (Simon Dolan) is the best fuel for my confirmation biases. Basically an anthem to self-made people and believing in yourself. Dolan is a funny guy and his motorsport career is more than acknowledgeable. Another proof that when there is a will, there is a way, inspiring guy and inspiring book. Only book so far I bought twice (physically and on Kindle).
• "To Hell and Back" (Niki Lauda) is my model for being bold and having balls, which I
cruelly lackwork toward developping. Lauda is the definition of boldness. The guy is crazy and the book relates a very unique story of a career. If you enjoy everything with an engine, it's a must-read. For all others, it's a lesson on boldness.• "The Power of Habits" (Charles Duhigg) made a lasting impact on my life. I believe it's the best "neurosciences for everybody" book ever. It crunches a ton of important concepts and informations about our brains into the "simple" idea of habits.
• "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think" (Brian Wansink) is actually a scam. Wansink was dismissed from his university for falsifying researchs and his "food psychology" thing was recently debunked for having little or no academic basis. This book is full of these made up stuff, most information it contains are probably wrong or manipulated. But... it works. It worked for me. It triggered little changes in my relationship to food (mostly about quantity and not tricking myself into eating stuff I'll regret later) and I can see my fat diminishing from these newly formed habits. So I don't know, this scam book was the one that made me end up bad habits with food when some more academic works didn't help a lot. I'll let that to your own judgement.
http://www.amazon.com/Genghis-Khan-Making-Modern-World/dp/0609809644/ref=pd_sim_b_4
The Mongols are worthy of anybodies time!
Another source along the same lines:
"Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World" by Jack Weatherford is a wonderful history book for light and fun reading. It has tons of great reviews and is available for audio book as well.
Amazon link
The Mongols were anything but savage. That's a preeeety racism belief. Read this book for a better perspective:
http://www.amazon.com/Genghis-Khan-Making-Modern-World/dp/0609809644
start here
https://www.amazon.com/Genghis-Khan-Making-Modern-World/dp/0609809644/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1466216491&sr=8-4&keywords=mongolia
hmmmm... well, not much that Ive read fall under that price range. Do you like in the USA, can you use Amazon?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0786884517/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1495585796&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=pirate+biography&dpPl=1&dpID=51-foWCviEL&ref=plSrch
That one is 9-10 dollars, the story of Captain Kidd. If you dont mind used editions some of the stuff by Robert K Massie is under 5 dollars for print.
Dreadnought is about Britain and Germany gearing up do WW1
Peter the Great was one of the most famous Tsars of Russia
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/ol/0345298063/ref=mw_dp_olp?ie=UTF8&condition=all
Ghenghis Khan and The Making of The Modern world was fascinating
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/ol/0609809644/ref=mw_dp_olp?ie=UTF8&condition=all
The republic of Pirates was pretty interesting too
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/ol/015603462X/ref=mw_dp_olp?ie=UTF8&condition=all
i linked to used books, so be aware of that - i buy almost all of my books used in "good" or "great" condition and have no complaints so far.
Book recommendation:
http://www.amazon.com/Genghis-Khan-Making-Modern-World/dp/0609809644
I don't really think that you can compare the two. Genghis Khan and his descendants implemented many policies that we view as progressive like religious freedom,promoting a meritocracy, immunity to diplomats, and a codified code of laws. It also could be argued that he had no will to conquer beyond Mongolia before the trade incident with what was the Khwarezmian Empire. With all that said, he was a man of his time. He used terror as an effective weapon and he generally only destroyed the cities that resisted him and forced him to siege. If anyone wants to know more they should read Jack Diamond's book. When I said that he was a man of his time, I meant that other leaders were just as cruel like in Europe and China, because it was the Middle Ages you know.
I kind of view Hitler a bit differently. Any person in the West of Victorian sensibilities would have viewed what he was doing as evil even if they were Jews. He just killed them because they were Jews. Not everyone in Germany thought it was right either. I remember reading a book of a first hand account of a Jew in a concentration camp where he saw an old Jew enter and take up residence in the camp. He was respected by the camp guards, because he was a former officer in the former Imperial German Army and was awarded an Iron Cross.
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. Awesome book about how basically a homeless orphan who is forced to eat rats rises to go from that to slave to conquer more of the world than any man in history ever has. Fascinating book.
http://www.amazon.com/Genghis-Khan-Making-Modern-World/dp/0609809644/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335449951&sr=8-1
Read Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford. Paints a much more nuanced picture of the man, and is an absolutely fascinating read.
read a book
Read this and decide for yourself.
For those who want a fuller picture, check out Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. It covers the entire history of the Mongol Empire, from Genghis Khan's formative years to the eventual collapse of the Empire.
I enjoyed reading ["Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World" by Jack Weatherford] (https://www.amazon.com/Genghis-Khan-Making-Modern-World/dp/0609809644/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475041949&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=Genghis+Khan+and+the+Making+of+the+Modern+World+Written+by%3A+Jack+Weatherford)
I like this biography of Genghis Khan. It's maybe not exactly what you were looking for, but I thought it was pretty cool to read about the truly breathtaking extent of he and his sons' conquests and the complete obscurity from which he and the Mongols emerged.
Or read a book. Carlin is a great dramatist of history but, being a podcaster, he focuses on dramatic quotes, visual events, and the broad brush.
http://www.amazon.com/Genghis-Khan-Making-Modern-World/dp/0609809644 is quite good with the facts but is clearly a revisionist apologia for a man who was a genocidal maniac. And whether or not Genghis Khan wanted to create a wondrous peaceful "New World Order" after killing a quarter of the world's population is something from the author's imagination entirely.
I read a book on the Mongols that was very interesting. One of the ideas that the author tries to convey is that the Mongols wanted everyone to think of them as some hideous destroyers so that their enemies would be more willing to surrender rather than to battle.
http://www.amazon.com/Genghis-Khan-Making-Modern-World/dp/0609809644
I'd suggest this as a read along with the works suggested in the top user review comment if you are serious about updating your view based on current research. While Genghis and the Gur Khans that immediately followed him advocated a steppe hunting like approach to warfare and destroyed several cities those numbers are highly inflated by Arab/European accounts attempting to vilify the 'Tartars' and the Mongol propaganda machine itself. The Mongols were much more about completely destroying armies in the field and the aristocratic rulers in the city afterwards rather than the general populace; farmers, craft smiths, merchants, doctors etc were actually highly prized by them.
The bubonic plague was a much bigger factor in Baghdad's and the rest of Asia's population decline than any Genghis genocide.
Edit: Ah i guess you aren't allowed to have a non Euro centric view of the Mongols on Reddit.