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 in every aspect

This taught me a lot while being entertaining at the same time. The subject is well written and well researched. The reader presents the material well and makes it easy to follow. There is a lot of good story here and while being a history buff would help it is not required to enjoy this work.

Slow motion cultural roller coaster

The story started off well enough but left me bewildered when the namesake of the story died barely two hours into the telling. But what turns out to be the main body of the tale followed; a compelling revelation of the changes which tumbled out onto the world from Genghis Khan's too-short life. Change the title to "The Rise and Fall of Mongol Civilization?" (with a deliberate and intentional terminating question mark) and you'll go into the book with a much more realistic set of expectations. After a slow start and a creeping but unrelenting acceleration into the future, you find yourself arriving in the modern world with a newfound connection to the traditionally obscure Mongol Empire. But be prepared for some ear candy after the book is over. A chapter-length epilog reveals that much of what you just heard derives from long-lost but newly rediscovered ancient manuscripts. Surprisingly (to me), it turns out that Weatherford played a personal role in this rediscovery and he does not hide his rah-rah admiration for the great Khan. Though I try very hard to be cynical, I cannot help but be infected by some of the author's profoundly-emotional admiration for the grand results which arose from a simple man living in a simple (barely Bronze Age) culture. I could argue strongly with the quizzical nature of how the book was put together, but not at all with the overall result, a magnificent revelation which is certain to rewrite our own perceptions of the modern world. And, by the way, Davis does an outstanding narration job parsing this material out over a full 800 years of human history.

A Wealth of Information

Where does Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book illuminated an area of history (Asia in the 12th-20th centuries) of which I had little knowledge.

Perspective changing on Gengis <br /> and globalization

Good flow, from the intricate upbringing of Gengis to his conquests to the surprising outcome of peace and trade during the Pax Mongolica.

Fascinating history!

I started off knowing very little about the Mongolian empire and found myself quickly absorbed in the intricate and ingenious history of the Mongolian and their great Khans. I would highly recommend listening to the second epilogue first and then the rest of the book as it explains a lot about the style and sources of the book. Without this explanation I often found myself confused and irritated by the lack of information or reference to sources I couldn't place.

Educational !!

What did you love best about Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World?

One of the most educational book I have ever read or listened to. as well as entertaining and
I was unable to to turn off.

What did you like best about this story?

The history of Genghis Khan and how he and is successors implemented "freedom of religion", unification of mathamatics, etc.

Great Historical Portrait for the Layman

I knew who Genghis Khan was. At least I thought I did. I was wrong however.

Mr. Weatherford's historical book is a fantastic work on Genghis Khan and his lasting legacy.

I had assumed that this book would be an autobiography of the Great Khan and it is, but only for the first third of the book or so. In fact, Genghis plays only a minor role in the overall scope and breadth of this novel.

Rather, two-thirds focus on Genghis Khan's decedents and their impact on the world around them. His decedents may not have been as an amazing ruler as he, they still managed to apply most of his principles and in doing so changed the world.

I had no idea that Genghis Khan implemented so many progressive measures within his growing empire. My knowledge, and ignorance, of him was limited to what I had learned from popular culture. That he was a leader of a barbarian horde that managed to concur much of the Eastern European and Asia.

I knew nothing of his ideals in regards to government and that he believed in the separation of church and state, along with the introduction of paper money.

Mr. Weatherford writes in an engaging way that doesn't become bogged down with the fog of historical facts, but nor does he write in a way that removes all intellectual truths from history.

The narrator, Mr. Davis, does a wonderful job and manages to nail even the most troublesome of pronunciations.

I highly recommend this to lover's of history or to anyone who has a passing interest in this, one of the greatest of men.

Wonderful book.

It's one of the best books I've had the pleasure the listen/read. It's extremely well researched and delivered in such way which makes it really easy to follow. The topic was a complete surprise to me as I was not aware at all of the historical significance of the Mongol nation. My deepest thanks to the author for this wonderful work of love.

More to Genghis Khan

The name Genghis Khan brings to mind murdering Mongolian hordes. This book examines who Genghis Khan was, and the changes to civilization resulting from him and his descendants. Perhaps it is revisionist history, but nevertheless, I different way to look at how civilization grew, and the part Genghis Khan played.

Divided in three parts, the first is Genghis Khan, than his four sons and their descendants, and finally their place in history and impact of communism on the Mongol people and the research into this era.

The book is written lively and I learned new things about civilization and the fall of this empire because of the plague. Most interesting to me was Khan's tolerance of religion and how he would adopt advances in one region and because he didn't restrict because of religious reasons, took that advancement to other areas he conquered.

Really enjoyed the audio book - except they put the author's comments at the end of the audiobook - if it had been earlier, I would have made a point to use the reference materials while reading.

Weatherford should write a book just about the adventure of researching this book - that would be fascinating.

Fantastic Read!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes! I finally know why the world is the way it is and that it was not because of some marauders or barbarian horde! Such a fascinating story it needs to be read by many more.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World?

The length of time he fought his world war and how many areas came under his power - leaders today think they have done something. Not!

What does Jonathan Davis and Jack Weatherford bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Very enjoyable listening to the narrator. So engrossing.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Thank you, Mr. Khan