Ben Justice

History H

Dear Journal,

                I, Marco Polo, am about to embark on a journey to Central Asia and China. I am going to travel along the Silk Road, but I am worried… I have heard stories of the bloodthirsty marauders the Mongols. I have heard stories of them burning whole cities, destroying civilizations, and obliterating thousands of people. I have heard the Mongols use horses for speed destroying towns in a matter of minutes. But possibly the most frightening thing is that they kill innocent people just because they can. I am very afraid that my journey in the Mongolian Empire may be cut short. I have heard the Mongols kill hundreds of innocents so that other enemies will be frightened and surrender before a battle even starts. The Mongols use speed and range to their advantage having archers on horses so that no single enemy can escape their iron grasp. If that does not send shivers down your spine I don’t know what will. It is estimated that Genghis Khan killed nearly 40 million people, I just pray to God I do not become one of them.

Dear Journal,

                After spending time in the Mongolian Empire I have come to a conclusion that my first thoughts of the Mongols were completely wrong. The Mongols are not bloodthirsty marauders, and destroyers of cities but rather they are promoters of trade and their empire is a bridge between East and West. The Mongols opened intercontinental trade, created new nations, and changed the course of history. One thing I have found is that Mongols love valuables and this leads to their acceptance of trade and merchants. Mongols also have the desire to further advance their knowledge in the areas of medicine, agriculture, religion, astronomy, craftsmanship, and technology. Clearly the Mongols are not simply just bloodthirsty barbarians but rather and interesting, and knowledgeable culture. Also when the Mongols captured a group of people and merged them into their society they did not force strict laws upon then, but rather accepted them as they were before. Peace, stability, economic growth, and the mixture of cultures were some of the main points I saw all over the Mongolian empire. I am very pleased with the knowledge I have gained while spending time in the Mongol’s Empire

Dear Journal,

                I believe history has such a split view of the Mongols because the story is told from two different sides, the side of the ones opposing the Mongols, and the side of the ones that see the true inner beauty of Mongolian society. The Persians, Chinese, and some Europeans saw the Ruthless Mongols, destroyers of cities, slayers of innocents, culture destroyers. The other side of the story is the true inner beauty of Mongolian society, they promoted trade, united cultures and built a bridge between Europe and Asia. They were intelligent people that loved to learn new things and accepted people as they were. Personally I think that one civilization the Mongolian society mirrors is the Athenian society they were centered around learning and promoted trade just like the Mongolians. Another Culture that is similar to the Mongolians is Sparta, Sparta had an unbeatable army in its time just like the Mongolians, they were both ruthless on the battlefield and both had very strong military tactics.

Citations: 

Rossabi, M.. N.p.. Web. 17 Jan 2014. <http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/>.

"World History Connected | Vol. 5 No. 2 | Timothy May: The Mongol Empire in World History." World History Connected | Vol. 5 No. 2 | Timothy May: The Mongol Empire in World History. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.