Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World Essays -

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World By: Jack Weatherford Brandon Gibson Stacie Brewer History 101 Western Civilization to 1689 Fall 2017 1st Term Jack Weatherford writes in a very appealing style, which had a large impact in the speed that I could finish the book. This book was written so well that it was on the New York Best Time Seller list for several weeks. The positives of Weatherford's writing are that he combines other historian's data with some of his own and it grabs and holds the attention of readers. The author uses examples and stories extraordinarily well to clarify his points so that the reader can relate to the material. The entire book is written so that it is very easy to comprehend. This allows someone from just about any education level to understand easily and can follow along. Taking that into account , I would suggest this book to someone who would not have the least bit of interest in history. It is very clear that Weatherford is a creative writer, blending the history of Genghis Khan with incredible enthusiasm , in turn paints a clear picture of the past . The very first page after the table of contents, is an ancestral table showing Genghis Khan, his family, and the lineage beyond him. The rest of the bo ok is organized in chronological order starting with an introduction about Weatherford's gathering of information and travels , followed by three text sections broken further down into chapters about the life of Genghis Khan , and ending with an epilogue. The structure and layout of the book is another key reason why I feel this book is great for any education level because it is presented, in my opinion, in the easiest way for a reader to understand and retain. Jack Weatherford's main theme for the book is how the Mongols would forever change the world through many different methods. Starting with the medieval times all the way till current day. Weatherford would go on to support his main theme by making connections between the Mongols, the Renaissance, an d the series of events that resulted in these combing . One of Weatherford 's main supporting ideas, was the importation of the printing press, blast furnace, compass, gunpowder, as well as Persian and Chinese painting s from the Mongol Empire . These items were all catalysts in providing the chang e into the modern world . He would make his case very powerfully and provides massive amounts of evidence . He displays how the Mongols also have an indirect influence in Europe. He also explains how the Mongols were very innovative during the renaissance while the European view was of a very destructive and vulgar culture. Weatherford portray ed all this by laying out a very thorough timeline about Genghis Kahn and his rise to power as well as how the Mongols viewed warfare, which honestly , was not the most honorable method of war, but it is what allowed for the Mongols to conquer and achieve victory. One very interesting point that Weatherford used to support his main idea about Genghis Kahn and his conquering of the world was that he was not born a military genius. Many people believe Genghis Kahn was born a military m astermind, however, everything h e would learn about war would be through mistakes. Trial and error was his learning process for successful raids and war. Outside of the main theme, w hat I like about this book is how Weatherford describes the multitude of raids, wars, and ambushes that the Mongols conducted and puts it in perspective. He provides a thorough comparison between t he Mongols and their opponents who would often t orture and maim prisoners, typically for entertainme nt . I also found , Weatherford 's explanation and reasoning for each invasion intriguing. He would also provide a political viewpoint behind each event from the Mongol perspective . Weatherford would support these views by explaining very well how each raid was either a brutal massacre or quite easy and peaceful. The word choices in his descriptions are what make it easy to follow and understand. What is