![]() Weatherford's main point in the introduction is that the world changed or began to change from the medieval to the modern because of the Mongols. He did much of the research in tandem with a Mongolian team that included a scholar of shamanism, an archaeologist, a political scientist, and an officer in the Mongolian army, providing a wide viewpoint and a variety of expertise. Thus, Weatherford began working on the impact of the Mongols on the world. Like many who have done so, Weatherford was, one might say, "bitten by the Mongol bug" and could not resist the allure of Genghis Khan. During his research on the Silk Road he traveled to Mongolia and read about the accomplishments of the Mongols. Rather, he intended to write a book on the history of world commerce. In his introduction, Weatherford reveals that he did not set out to write a book about Genghis Khan. While Babur was descended from Genghis Khan on his mother's side, he cannot be viewed as a direct line from Genghis Khan's grandson, Chaghatai, as Weatherford's table indicates. Indeed, the Moghul Empire has connections back to the Mongols (Moghul is Persian for Mongol), but the founder of the Moghul Empire, Babur, was himself a Timurid, the dynasty of the Emir Timur, who was not descended from Genghis Khan. In its place is the Moghul Empire of India. ![]() All of the Khanates or states resulting from the split of the Mongol Empire are shown except the Chaghatayid Khanate of Central Asia. There is an odd segment of the table though. The latter is something that is often remiss in these sorts of tables, but a welcome addition here. In addition to showing the rulers of the empire, the terms of the regents are designated. Preceding all of these is a genealogical table showing Genghis Khan, his sons, and the successor khanates. The book is organized into an introduction, and then three sections of the text itself, and concluding with an epilogue, notes, glossary, and bibliography. The strength of Weatherford's writing is that he mixes narrative with analysis and grabs the attention of any reader. As a result, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World spent several weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list. The author, Jack Weatherford, the Dewitt Wallace Professor of Anthropology at Macalester College, has written several books targeted for the non-academic world and writes in a very engaging style. Thus, the publication of Jack Weatherford's book, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, is a welcome addition to the literature on the Mongols. The western world, saturated in media distortion and a reluctance to accept changes in perceptions of history, has been rather averse in accepting Genghis Khan's activities as pivotal in world history and the shaping of the modern world. The name of Genghis Khan is often associated with destruction, although the image of Genghis Khan has been rehabilitated somewhat in the west. ![]() Reviewed by Timothy May (Assistant Professor of History, North Georgia College and State University) Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World.
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