Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

By: Jack Weatherford

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Jack Weatherford

Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization.

Vastly more progressive than his European or Asian counterparts, Genghis Khan abolished torture, granted universal religious freedom, and smashed feudal systems of aristocratic privilege. From the story of his rise through the tribal culture to the explosion of civilization that the Mongol Empire unleashed, this brilliant work of revisionist history is nothing less than the epic story of how the modern world was made.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

Listen to An Interview with Author Jack Weatherford.

©2005 Jack Weatherford (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"With appreciative descriptions of the sometimes tender tyrant, this chronicle supplies just enough personal and world history to satisfy any reader." ( Publishers Weekly)

"There is very little time for reading in my new job. But of the few books I've read, my favourite is Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford. It's a fascinating book portraying Genghis Khan in a totally new light. It shows that he was a great secular leader, among other things." (Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India)

"Weatherford's admiration for Genghis and his firsthand knowledge of many of the sites important in Mongol history give this text an immediacy and a visual quality that are enhanced by Davis’s presentation. When the narrative begins to lag in its final hour or two as it moves farther from the twelfth century, Davis's crisp pace maintains the listener’s interest to the end. An informative and provocative work of popular history." ( AudioFile)

A fast-paced history of the Mongols

While the listener may not like the narrator at first (I certainly did not), they will get used to him, and come to like him. His slow speech can be tiresome. I just plain didn't like his voice at first.

This was a pretty good history, moving from the rise of Ghengis Khan to the rule of his successors.

Story provides Mongol-version of Khan

A fascinating history from the Mongol point of view. I learned a lot I didn’t know and realized what a one-sided history we hear about the Mongols. The Audible version is irritating though especially in the second half. It sounds spliced quite a bit where there often is no breath or pause between sections and sometimes sentences and the narrator sounds like he just about talks on top of himself. It’s jarring every time it happens, which is a lot.

A Whole New History of The Word

This is an amazing book.

It challenges every idea someone from the west has about the Mongols and is one of the best examples that I have read about "history is written by the victors".

Fascinating material, could use some editing

This is an important part of history that made the world what it is today. We in the Western world should know it. I recommend it strongly for this reason alone. Additionally, it sheds light on the conflict between world unification and tribalism / nationalism that is roiling the world today--another strong reason for reading this book. I would like to give it all five stars, but it really should have been shortened, especially at the end. I mean, really, do we need an epilogue ("afterward") AND an afterward? Especially when much of the material is repeated? No, but I can see the love that shines in the creation of this book. And you will too, if you look for it. Put up with the repetiveness. Read the book. You won't regret it.

Most important history book I’ve read.

If you want to really understand the impact of Ghengis Khan on how the whole world was shaped by himself and his immediate lineage this is a much read. 800 years later our world owes a LOT of its structure and ideologies to his work.

an incredible in depth study.

wow! I learned so much. very well written and performed. dry at times, but the information was worth it!

Amazing

I had no idea of the massive influence that Genghis Khan had on the whole world. This book about the true history of Genghis Khan is amazing!

Fantastic!

One of the best books I’ve heard in a long time!!!! Genghis Khan holds a tremendous level of awe and respect to me after learning about his life and endeavors!

Fascinating, at times gripping revisionist history

Loved this book and Jonathan's reading of it. Have travelled in many of the places where the events of Khan and his descendants lives took place, and learned a LOT. Enjoyed Weatherford's reinterpretation of the works of Voltaire and others about Khan, and the text gave new currency to China’s current attempts to stop use of the native Mongolian language in schools in Neiman. Any student of global politics, economics and history will enjoy and learn from this book.

Engaging and Interesting Storytelling

I was somewhat skeptical when I purchased this book. I feared it would be boring and dry. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The author does an amazing job of telling history Genghis Khan in and unfolding story format that is interesting, factual, and entertaining at times. The book gave me an appreciation for what the Kahn dynasty achieved almost 1000 years ago and how it has impacted modern civilization as we know it. This is a great book for those for you like to read history, but aren’t necessarily academic and have a deep need to do analysis. The narrator does a very great job, you can easily listen to this book at 1.7x speed