Jack Weatherford. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. New York: Crown Publishers, 2004. xxxv + 312 pp. $25.00, cloth, ISBN 978-0-609-61062-6. Reviewed by Timothy May Published on H-World (March, 2005) The name of Genghis Khan is often associated cluding with an epilogue, notes, glossary, and bib‐ with destruction, although the image of Genghis liography. Preceding all of these is a genealogical Khan has been rehabilitated somewhat in the table showing Genghis Khan, his sons, and the west. The western world, saturated in media dis‐ successor khanates. In addition to showing the tortion and a reluctance to accept changes in per‐ rulers of the empire, the terms of the regents are ceptions of history, has been rather averse in ac‐ designated. The latter is something that is often cepting Genghis Khan's activities as pivotal in remiss in these sorts of tables, but a welcome ad‐ world history and the shaping of the modern dition here. There is an odd segment of the table world. Thus, the publication of Jack Weatherford's though. All of the Khanates or states resulting book, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Mod‐ from the split of the Mongol Empire are shown ern World, is a welcome addition to the literature except the Chaghatayid Khanate of Central Asia. on the Mongols. In its place is the Moghul Empire of India. Indeed, The author, Jack Weatherford, the Dewitt the Moghul Empire has connections back to the Wallace Professor of Anthropology at Macalester Mongols (Moghul is Persian for Mongol), but the College, has written several books targeted for the founder of the Moghul Empire, Babur, was him‐ non-academic world and writes in a very engag‐ self a Timurid, the dynasty of the Emir Timur, ing style. As a result, Genghis Khan and the Mak‐ who was not descended from Genghis Khan.[1] ing of the Modern World spent several weeks on While Babur was descended from Genghis Khan the New York Times Best Seller list. The strength on his mother's side, he cannot be viewed as a di‐ of Weatherford's writing is that he mixes narra‐ rect line from Genghis Khan's grandson, tive with analysis and grabs the attention of any Chaghatai, as Weatherford's table indicates. reader. In his introduction, Weatherford reveals that The book is organized into an introduction, he did not set out to write a book about Genghis and then three sections of the text itself, and con‐ Khan. Rather, he intended to write a book on the H-Net Reviews history of world commerce. During his research the Mongol army had soldiers. The author uses on the Silk Road he traveled to Mongolia and read these analogies exceedingly well to clarify his about the accomplishments of the Mongols. Like points. many who have done so, Weatherford was, one There are two general comments before dis‐ might say, "bitten by the Mongol bug" and could cussing the actual content of the book. There is a not resist the allure of Genghis Khan. Thus, curious lack of dates in many of the historical sec‐ Weatherford began working on the impact of the tions, for the non-specialist this can be problemat‐ Mongols on the world. He did much of the re‐ ic. In his writing style, Weatherford moves back search in tandem with a Mongolian team that in‐ and forth between events; while not hampering cluded a scholar of shamanism, an archaeologist, the fow of the narrative, this can be confusing to a political scientist, and an officer in the Mongo‐ the reader. Secondly, the method of citation is lian army, providing a wide viewpoint and a vari‐ frustrating. Granted, this is a work intended for ety of expertise. the general public thus the lack of footnotes is to Weatherford's main point in the introduction be expected. Yet, the manner in which sources are is that the world changed or began to change cited is awkward. Rather than a footnote or end‐ from the medieval to the modern because of the note with a number, the reader must turn to the Mongols. Weatherford wrote, "The new technolo‐ notes section, and look for a page number. If he is gy, knowledge, and commercial wealth created lucky, there will be a brief snippet of a passage the Renaissance in which Europe rediscovered with the source. However, there are a number of some of its prior culture, but more importantly, quotes which are not attributed. This is not to say absorbed the technology for printing, frearms, that it is plagiarism as it is clear that Weatherford the compass, and the abacus from the East" (p. does not claim to make the statements, but rather xxiv). This passage is, without question, contro‐ just plain sloppiness on the part of someone versial. Many would scoff at the notion that a lit‐ whether it is the author or editor. eral horde of illiterate nomads from Mongolia cre‐ The frst section after the introduction con‐ ated the Renaissance. There is something to be cerns the rise of Genghis Khan and the unification said about Weatherford's view; however the im‐ of Mongolia. As with most of his writing, this sec‐ pact of the Mongols on the Renaissance will be tion comprising three chapters is very engaging. discussed more fully in the discussion on section The frst chapter begins with an account Genghis three of the book. Nevertheless, Weatherford's Khan's attack on the Khwarazmian Empire, which pronouncement does seize one's attention and stir covered much of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and the the imagination. former Soviet Central Asia. Throughout this sec‐ Weatherford also entices the reader by re‐ tion, Weatherford provides the reader with a very marking on the accomplishments of the Mongols good sense of the rise of Genghis Khan to power such as that they conquered an empire that and how the Mongols viewed warfare, which is to stretched from the Pacific to the Mediterranean, say, honor was not in the methods of war, but an area roughly the size of Africa. Furthermore rather in gaining victory. Furthermore, Weather‐ he notes that the Mongols accomplished this feat ford does a splendid job of illustrating that when their population was perhaps a million peo‐ Genghis Khan was not a born military genius, a ple, of which only around 100,000 comprised the label that is often and understandably applied to military. Weatherford does well to illustrate the the Mongol leader, but rather he learned from his magnitude of this deed by pointing out that many mistakes and then applied the lessons. modern corporations have more employees than 2 H-Net Reviews Also in the frst chapter, Weatherford pro‐ sis on the Mongols' role in facilitating trade. With vides an excellent description of the topography their empire secure, caravans and merchants tra‐ and ecology of Mongolia. It is clear he under‐ versed the Mongol realm with much greater secu‐ stands how vital these two factors are to the rise rity than in previous eras. In addition to trade, of Mongol dominance. Weatherford's anthropo‐ others took advantage of the secure roads leading logical insight is clear when discussing various as‐ to the migration of people (in some cases against pects of nomadic culture. their will), ideas, and technology. One particular Weatherford, however does engage in some item that made its way to Europe from the Mon‐ historical speculation; some of it very interesting gol Empire was quite unintentional: the Black and convincing, particularly that based on an‐ Plague. The effects of the plague on Europe are thropological premises. For instance, Temüjin well known and need no further comment. killed his older step-brother. Many scholars have Weatherford also makes his connections be‐ concluded that this was partially based off of a ri‐ tween the Mongols and the Renaissance and valry for power, even at a young age between the emergence of modern Europe. Weatherford states two branches of the family (Yesügei, Temüjin's fa‐ that it was the importation of the printing press, ther, had two wives). Weatherford raises the in‐ blast furnace, compass, gunpowder, as well as triguing possibility that the half brother was mur‐ Persian and Chinese painting styles from the dered because of the possibility that Temüjin's Mongol Empire that spawned the Renaissance. In‐ mother would become the half-brother's wife due deed, Weatherford writes during the Renaissance to Levirate law (p. 23-24). period, "The common principles of the Mongol The second section concerns the expansion of Empire-such as paper money, primacy of the state the Mongol Empire outside of Mongolia. This of over the church, freedom of religion, diplomatic course leads the Mongol armies into China, Cen‐ immunity, and international law-were ideas ... tral Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. These gained new importance" (p. 236). Weatherford chapters provide a discourse on the effectiveness states his case very eloquently and with an abun‐ of the Mongol military as well as a comparison dance of evidence demonstrating not only the in‐ with its enemies, including such ubiquitous yet in‐ direct influence of the Mongols in Europe but also teresting elements such as diet. Weatherford also the transformation of the Mongols from agents of attempts to put the massacres and destruction innovation in the Renaissance into agents of de‐ conducted by the Mongols into perspective and struction in the European mind during Enlighten‐ makes a good contrast between the Mongols and ment. their "civilized" opponents who were often much It is quite clear that Weatherford is a brilliant more prone to torturing prisoners, often for en‐ writer, blending anthropological insight and in‐ tertainment purposes.