Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

In this book the author, Jack Weatherford, references the Secret History of the Mongols to tell the story of Chinggis Khaan and the Mongol Empire. He shows how Chinggis Khaan’s philosophy and leadership during the reign of the largest continuous land empire came to influence the modern world and the cultures and civilizations we have come to know today. Weatherford argues that the Mongols’ philosophy of egalitarianism and religious tolerance facilitated free exchange of ideas, created free trade routes, advocated for modern rule of law and created the idea of diplomatic immunity. In revisiting the history of the Mongol dynasty of khans, Weatherford challenges the image of Chinggis khan as a ruthless destroyer, a notion that became popular in the West during the age of Enlightenment, and introduces a different perspective and a new dialogue on the influence of the Mongols on history.