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 wonderful insight...

What an eye opener! we as a society are so misled on the portrait of the Mongols and Ghengis Kahn. I found this book extremely informative. A wonderful insight to the actual person behind evil personified in history.

OUTSTANDING

More history like this, please.

Don't believe everything that is taught to you in western schools.

Should be required reading/listening in school

I am amazed at how little I knew of this great man and what I thought I knew was so wrong. Author does a great job of illustrating how history is often altered for political and social gain.

a must read to know the world!

Super interesting story of one of the most important men that have ever lived! if you want to know why the world is what is is today in forward thinkink, the division of religion and government, modern warfare, trade, science, agriculture, etc this is a book for you. So much detail en superbly told.

a must read to understand the modern world

history is not the same after reading weatherford's rendition of Genghis Khan's impact on the world. this book fills the gaps of history left unspoken by so many authors. without understanding the Mongols, the first global empire, you cannot understand modern history & modern civilizations

History

This was a great History book and it should be taught in schools, just like the author spelled it out. Great work!

very nicely done

I learned a lot from this audiobook. I will listen to it again in a few months.

Mind changing

This is a marvelous book and audio book. Eye opening, mind changing, specially for me. Having grown up and taught in school, what now I believe are just bad written history about this great leader that changed human story and civilization forever.
Seriously. If you didn’t already, this is a must read or must listen book!

My favorite history book

I've read the paperback twice, this was my first time listening as an audio book. Weatherford is fantastic at making history into something that can be listened to as a grand epic, a skill I haven't found much before in other history books. The story of the Mongol Empire in itself is fascinating, Weatherford just puts the cherry on top. Each time I've read/listened, I've picked up some new tidbit of information that I glazed over in the previous readings. It's simply jam packed with interesting details and pieces of world history which can still be felt today.

Eye opening

This is a must.
I had a pretty different image of genghis khan and mongol warriors in general, mostly distorted by school.
We were told that where they went death followed. But thats only a part of the story.
Thanks of showing me the bigger picture where conquered nations grew and prospered under the mongol rule with its modern concepts of rewarding people according to their ability and not pedigree, freedom of religion, free trade, diplomatic immunity etc.