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)

Great read with facts!!!

This book finally lends truth and facts to OUR history as a whole. Almost every culture and race can trace their lineage back to the era of this great leader.

Great for buffs interested in Mongol culture

Would you listen to Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World again? Why?

I probably would not. I came into the book already having read a lot about the Ghengis and the Mongols so I was looking for this narrative to fill in the gaps, so to speak, and it did just that.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ghengis Khan has got to be one of the greatest characters of any period in human history.

Did Jonathan Davis and Jack Weatherford do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

I found their narration skills to be a bit lacking in that they speak so monotone. Overall decent though.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No it becomes a little difficult in the middle and I found it best to step away from time to time and absorb the information that way.

Excellent book on the legacy of Genghis Khan

Not the first book by weatherford I have read and another well written illuminating one. GK truly did help lay a foundation for the modern world.

Wonderful book. Fascinating information.

Loved the book. Really interesting information about Genghis Khan's positive legacy..... not just the usual tale of slaughter and conquest. Very well read (although the U.S. pronunciation of "route" as "rowt" makes it seem as though a battle was lost....).

Greatly entertaining and information packed

This book explains so much and lives up to its title. There are many surprises. It definitely expanded my view of the world. I can't say that I believe every detail, but a lot of my assumptions were modified by this artful exposition. The knowledge presented contributed a lot to my understanding of past and present civilizations and international relations.

Eye opener!

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first got this book. It took me a little longer than I expected to finish it but at the end of it I was very happy! I never realized how important Genghis Khan was to the forming of civilization itself. Many things we do every day are largely in part to his journey in life. And not once while he conquered more than anyone else and advanced civilization more than anyone else did he ever have a picture painted or coin stamping of himself. You can learn a lot from his accomplishments and failures in life!

Surprised

Outstanding his book led me to history ties qnd a hole in information that I did not
Know exis

Khanscentric

This is an extremely well researched work. The author has included just about every detail you could ask for as to the life of Genghis Khan or the creation of his empire. This is an easy listen and does not have the feel of a textbook. The descriptions and historical information are excellent. My only issue comes from the fact that the author basically credits the mongols with being the principal reason that most of European and Asian cultures evolved as they did. They were extremely important of course and were a large source of cultural and technology transfer. They were however only a portion of the vast historical machinery that was at work over centuries and one could argue that the Islamic cultures had Just as great a role in preserving and expanding upon the scientific and technological improvements of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. He also relates the barbarity of both Genghis personally and the mongols in general while not expressing that they were in fact horrible. He tells us that they developed almost nothing on their own; from the written world to any weapons of war without stating the obvious, that they were in fact barbarians who were ahead of their time in tactical military maneuvers and nothing else. What they had and what they became was stolen from other cultures that they invaded and slaughtered.

Fascinating history, excellent narration

This should be required reading in all American schools. Turned my understanding of the Mongol empire upside down. Specifically, Genghis Khan was an excellent leader, international culture carrier, encouraged commerce, tolerated all religious beliefs including Christian, and stayed in power because the people liked what he provided for them. He believed in meritocracy of ideas and performance. The narrator was one of the best I’ve ever heard, correct pronunciations, easy to listen to and very clear. Outstanding work.

Great story

Very good story telling of a very well written story of the mongols from the start of the Genghis Khan life all the way to present day. Dont have any complaints.