Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

Jack Weatherford traces the history of Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire's role in shaping the modern world. The Mongol army, led by Genghis Khan, conquered more territory and subjugated more people in twenty-five years than the Romans did in four hundred years. In the lands they conquered, the Mongols facilitated increased cultural communication, expanded trade networks, and contributed to civilizational development. Genghis Khan implemented policies that were more progressive than those of his European and Asian contemporaries, including the abolition of torture, the establishment of universal religious freedom, and the dismantling of feudal aristocratic systems. Weatherford examines Genghis Khan's emergence from tribal culture and describes how the Mongol Empire's expansion led to widespread civilizational advancement, presenting this history as central to understanding how the modern world developed.