Mongol Influence On Eurasia

Mongol impact on Eurasia throughout the 13th and 14th centuries was extremely influential, changing the course of the world in many ways, although the ruthlessness of the Mongols was very destructive in nature. The impact of the Mongols is shown through their barbaric actions (Documents 1, 2, 3, and 9) which can be characterized by their hygiene and their mass slaying of anyone who defied them—women and children included. Mongol influence is also apparent through economy (Documents 4, 5, 6, and 9), because they forced citizens to pay tribute and spread paper money throughout the world, and lastly they had influence through contributions to conquered lands and the world as a whole (Documents 6, 7, 8, and 10) largely by many technological innovations …show more content…
In 1498, a Muslim historian named Abi-l’Hair reported that the Mongols tried to ruin their economic system with paper money (Document 4). They forced those they conquered to use a trading system unfamiliar to most, which created confusion but ultimately progressed society. The Mongols also forced people to pay tribute, especially in Russia (Document 5). This vastly changed the system of serfdom previously which previously dominated Russia. The Mongols, or Golden Horde, made the Russians pay tribute to the prince, upsetting Russians. Al-Atir also documented that the Mongols conquered almost all of Eurasia, including the most populated and prosperous regions (Document 9). This accomplishment allowed the Mongols to control nearly all significant trade in the known world, especially trade on the Silk Road, emphasizing the power they had in the world economy. Marco Polo also wrote that the powerful khan forced everyone under his control to use paper money in their unique economic system (Document 6). This also shows how the Mongols had control of the flow of currency in their empire. Polo, an Italian merchant concerned with money, spent quite some time (17 years) in China trading as well as observing the Chinese market. He wrote this to document how they used paper money for market, though he may be biased because of …show more content…
This largely included technology but also included the spread of disease. The Black Death spread from China all the way to western Europe in the mid 14th century, killing a staggering one third of the European population (Document 10). Originating from the Mongols, the Black Death was perhaps the most important contribution to Eurasia, leading to a widespread cultural and intellectual movement or rebirth known as the renaissance. Marco Polo, after spending 17 years with the Mongol khan in China, wrote that the khan introduced paper money to all of his vast empire (Document 6). This changed the way most of Eurasia’s economy behaved, contributing to a changing world economy. According to Francis Bacon, the printing press, gunpowder, and the magnet changed the whole face of the world (Document 7). These inventions contributed to literature, warfare, and navigation. Bacon, a highly educated English philosopher, is knowledgeable about how Chinese innovations spread to Europe through the Mongol Empire and their great impact on the world as a whole. He writes this to explain how three new Chinese technologies have benefited Europe, but he may be biased because he is directly involved with the use of the one technology for his writing, that is the printing press. The Mongols also spread printing technology from China to the West over the course of a millennium (Document 8). This changed the way books