Analysis Of Jack Weatherford's Genghis Khan And The Making Of The Modern World

In Jack Weatherford’s Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, Weatherford explains Genghis Khan’s rise to power, the conquests he made throughout his lifetime, and the legacy he created, which surged the world into the modern era. Weatherford argues that the creation of the society and the world as we know it was due to the work of this one man, Genghis Khan. Weatherford brings to light the previously unknown history of Genghis Khan’s life that led him to great success in creating an empire, which spanned over 11 million square miles in Asia and Europe. He seeks to disprove the modern belief that Genghis Khan was a bloodthirsty barbarian “who enjoyed destruction for its own sake” (xxvi). Weatherford uses his book as an exposé on the life of Genghis Khan, arguing that he is responsible for the …show more content…
Genghis Khan built a great empire despite the adversity and challenges he faced throughout his life. Weatherford successfully depicts the life of Genghis Khan, stating that the major outcome of his empire was the “unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and improved civilization” (xxiii). He argues that Genghis Khan’s various conquests and battles resulted in unification of nations, and a bringing together of the world through trade and various forms of communication. Weatherford’s argument has a minute number of shortcomings. He provides a thorough description of the events that occur in the Secret History. Weatherford states that his story is told “without recounting any more of the … ailments encountered, nor the personality quirks of the researchers and the people we met along the way” (xxxv). His description is given without bias, it is merely a summation of the facts surrounding the history of Genghis Khan. The only flaws in the account are due to lack of information or vague information given in the Secret History. (xvi, xxiii, xxxv,