Mongol Empire Dbq Essay

The Mongols were able to accomplish such a large territory within a short period of time due to their strong and extensive military and strategies, the organization of their society, and the fear they induced that struck the entirety of Eurasia. The Mongols seized control between 1200-1400 and were the most feared empire to have ruled in centuries, or perhaps ever. They controlled much of the Asian continent and they were able to keep control even after the division of the empire after Genghis Khan’s- their first major leader who unified all of the original Mongolian tribes- death. They also planned on expanding their empire after to and had trouble so it lead to a quick fall after the cost of constant war and fighting.

The Mongols were known

across the entire Eurasian continent for their military and strategic skills in war and combat. This was proved by an excerpt from The Secret History of the Mongols quoting Genghis Khan who was attempting to take over Chu-yung Kuan “‘I’ll trick them and make them come out into the open. I’ll pretend to retreat and when they come out i’ll attack them’” (doc 1) which shows him using tactics to lure his enemies our so he could have leverage against them. The demonstration of his tactics was able to show how well he could easily wipe out nearly an entire army, killing some of the best cathayan soldiers. He also demonstrated his abilities in Document 4 where Juvaini, prior to his appointment as governor of Baghdad said the Mongols and their system of military was amazing because every person to command ten, and so on so forth- this elicited the idea that the military was easily able to communicate within themselves and got things done quickly and efficiently. This allowed Genghis Khan to rule easily because he only had to report to ten people, but those ten people would report to their ten people, and it would go on like that until the army had heard his rule. The writer however may have been biased because the Mongols were considering appointing him as governor of Baghdad so he may have been writing this attempting to be a kiss up. The demonstration regardless was also a demonstration of the Mongols and their Incredible organization of society.
The Mongols were able to organize their society efficiently and effectively throughout their rule on the continent of Eurasia. This was proved by Document 5 where William of Rubruck, a Franciscan friar visited the Mongols and said “It is a women’s task to load the wagons, to milk the cows, to make butter and grut.... The men make bows and arrows, manufacture stirrups and bits... and tend and load the camels” essentially, women held tasks that tended to daily routine and kept things together, men would take care of specifics and would more often help with war related things. This shows that the Mongols had a very organized way of life, everyone had their own set of responsibilities and they were carried through day by day. William of Rubruck, however may have been unreliable due to the fact that he was a french friar who visited on the king's behalf- he could have been threatened by the mongols and didn't tell the truth about their way of life or he was simply confused due to not knowing the culture and how things worked. The Mongols demonstrated their organization again in document 3, Marco polo wrote that “They are capable of supporting every kind of privation, and when there is a necessity for it, can live for a month on the milk of their mares, and upon such wild animals they chance to catch. Theri horses are fed upon grass alone, and do not require barley or other grain. The men are trained to remain on horseback during two days and two nights, without dismounting…” the Mongols lived in such a way in growing up that the system was nearly flawless when they were older. They were trained to do tasks in a plethora of altitudes and it shaped them to be amazing warriors- further proving their organized state of society. In creating their organized stature of living, the Mongols managed to be extremely intimidating to all outside sources, which brings in the next idea that Mongols were a successful society because of the fear they could implement into the surrounding nations.
The Mongols also had an amazing way of enforcing fear into the minds of everyone they encountered.

Whether it be they had one on one contact with a civilization of they had simply heard about them, People around the continent were terrified of the Mongolians. This was first introduced in the document 6, which quotes an anonymous eyewitness who says “He sent soldiers out against those of the Tangqut people who rebelled him… The whole tribe was completely wiped out.” in saying this you can deduce how afraid these people were of the Mongols as this anonymous person was spreading around the terror that Genghis Khan truly spread around. This proves how successful they were in the making of their civilization as they influenced how everyone else portrayed them. The source on the other hand could be considered unreliable due to the fact that it had been translated centuries after as well as the fact that the account had been anonymous so there is no way of checking their validity. The fear they sent out was also proved in document 7 where the pope says “...according to what we have heard, have invaded many countries belonging both to christians and to others and are laying waste in a horrible desolation” the doc tells how they have heard of all of the horrid things that the Mongols have done and how terrible it is. This induced fear into the pope because according to prior knowledge the Christians had originally thought that the mongols had been on the catholic side because they had been desolating a majority of the middle east. After the destruction of Russia started though they quickly realized that wasn't the case and the conquest had nothing to do with religion. The destruction that the Mongols induced on the Russians was different from that of the Chinese because while the Mongols had control over Russia, they still left them alone and were able to live normally just with extra taxes given to their intruders. The Chinese on the other hand had Mongols freely joining

their society- the social hierarchies were evidently different and the two cultures did not blend but the mongols actually lived among them- the only similarity between the two was the fact that the two had both been conquered.The Mongols were able to use the immense terror they spread to their advantage as they conquered places and assimilated them into their empire.
In conclusion, The Mongols were able to conquer so much land in a short time because of their amazing tactics and military, their structured society, and the fear they implemented into their enemies. These things together helped the Mongols stay together and successful as they became such a widespread civilization and empire.