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)

Super Important for everyone to Read

This book is essential for everyone as it tells us the story of probably the biggest empire in the history of mankind and how it developed. Lots of lessons in that empires rise and fall. The book is very well-written and gives a comprehensive look to the rise of the mongols

Fascinating!

One of the best audio books I have heard this year can’t wait to find my next one.

Interesting and detailed. This narrator is wonderful.

Lots of detail. A deep dive into the politics and culture of the Mongols. I loved listening to this narrator. I went looking for more books by this author, as well as more books with this narrator.

Wicked good

I liked it all and how he tells us at the end how he did boots on the ground research…

The accomplishments of Genghis Khan.

Very educational book about perhaps the greatest leader of all times. The accomplishments of Genghis khan & his descendants are hard to imagine & impossible to match or duplicate.

fantastic view of world history

I learned a lot about Genghis Kahn and his empire and the effect it had on the world.

Great!

Sometimes there comes along a book which is a really great read. We westerners tend to believe that we are (and have always been) the center of the world. This book proves that the mongols preceded us in many different areas. The nomadic life style of the mongols gave them the opportunity to dominate many other peoples in their time, but the same nomadic life style prevented them from staying in power. The book is thoroughy researched and has been a dinner discussion topic with our grown children on many occassions. Slowly our kids start to understand that also other people (whom we tend to think of as less civilized today) may have many things to offer us, also today. Really recommended and I would gladly listen to it again. (This opinion is shared with my husband).

The Mongol empire's positive impact revealed

Interesting and certainly a different perspective than I've heard about the Mongols from the anglo-western history. I suspect the western history is biased in the negative. Weatherford does not deny the violence of those times, but does stress the positive impact the Mongol empire had on trade, technology spread and government advances.

This book goes beyond just the life of Genghis Khan (Temujin) to include the span of the Mongol empire ruled by his descendent khans. The author ends with an afterword of modern Mongol cultural impacts.

Maggie M.

This book is breathtakingly epic and wonderfully informative. Highly recommended!

FASCINATING

I can't wait to listen to the entire program again. Highly recommended for any history buff.