The Mongols
When Westerners such as ourselves and people native to Europe are asked what they know of the Mongols the answer is usually ruthless barbarians intent upon world domination. After all these years you would expect that the educational points presented to the different generations in school would have given a different view of the Mongol civilization. Leaving this vision instilled upon generation after generation is detrimental to learning the different positive aspects left behind by such a powerful empire. The nomadic lifestyle that the Mongols endured empowered them to become hardy warriors. The Mongols began their conquests in response to Ghengis Khans personal missions as well as a disruption in trade and the ecology of the land upon which they inhabited.
The Mongolian nomads relied heavily on the animals that they kept upon the steppes for survival. Throughout the year they would move their camps regularly in search of water and grass for their animals. The constant migrations prevented them from transporting reserves of food or other essential necessities. Living upon the steppes left them vulnerable to the elements as well. Heavy snows, ice, and drought could afflict the many animals that were essential to survival upon the steppe. Disease also played a deadly role in eliminating flocks and herds that the nomads were dependent upon.
All of these factors made the Mongolian nomads into very hardy, independent people. Moving a whole tribe of people constantly upon the steppe takes coordination and cooperation among the people living in the community. Part of that is what makes them so coordinated in their attacks. When your tribe is depending upon you to accomplish your task so to move on to another site on the steppe is the same as trusting the person beside you to do there job when attacking other civilizations.
The weather turned these nomads into very tough, rugged people as well. Having to deal with such cold temperatures most times of the year would turn anyone into a very stalwart person. The constantly changing storms also helped to mold the Mongolian nomads into very stout people. The heavy snows and ice on the steppe made these people into the unyielding warriors we imagine when reading about the Mongols. Drought ...
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...ic belief system (Ratchnevsky, 1992). If true, Ghengis Khan would have been motivated to take up the mission given to him by the sky god.
Another idea for why the Mongols began there conquests has to do with Ghengis Khan again. Maybe he felt he had to prove something to himself or to the gods. He lost his father when he was only nine years old. The thought of being such a great leader would maybe have given Ghengis Khan the belief that he was pleasing his father. These thoughts could have given Ghengis Khan the strength and will power to try to bring the tribes together to begin there conquests.
The military exploits of the Mongols under Ghengis Khan as well as other leaders and the ruthless brutality that characterized the Mongol conquests have survived in legend. The impact of the invasions can be traced through history from the different policies set forth to the contributions the Mongols gave the world. The idea of the ruthless barbarian’s intent upon world domination will always be a way to signify the Mongols. Living steadfast upon the barren steppe they rode out of Mongolia to pursue a better life for their people.
In conclusion, the mongols were more barbaric than they were peaceful. They were able conquer and destroy entire cities, use brutal and strategic military tactics, and provided harsh and cruel punishments for their prisoners daily lives. Many say that the mongols were the greatest civilization that has ever
To begin, one factor that supported Mongols in their conquests was their capacity for foraging, allowing them to survive under harsh living conditions. According to Marco Polo, a Venetian traveler that journeyed to Asia stated "They are capable of supporting every kind of privation, and when there is
The Mongols were nomadic people who didn’t know much about mining, and didn’t farm. They mostly lived off of meat and milk. They used hides from horses and wools from sheeps for their clothes and materials. The Mongols first conquered land, when Temuchin was given the title Genghis Khan. The Mongols were barbaric, they conquered a lot of land, and they were smart.
The most important constituent to the Mongols success was ‘a ruthless use of two psychological weapons, loyalty and fear’ (Gascoigne 2010). Ghengis Khan, the Mongol leader from 1206-1227, was merciless and made a guileful contrast in his treatment of nomadic kinsfolk and settled people of cities. For instance, a warrior of a rival tribe who bravely fights against Ghengis Khan and loses will be r...
When the word “Mongol” is said I automatically think negative thoughts about uncultured, barbaric people who are horribly cruel and violent. That is only because I have only heard the word used to describe such a person. I have never really registered any initial information I have been taught about the subject pass the point of needing and having to know it. I felt quite incompetent on the subject and once I was given an assignment on the book, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern Age, I was very perplexed for two reasons. One I have to read an outside book for a class that already requires a substantial amount of time reading the text, and secondly I have to write a research paper in History. I got over it and read the book, which surprisingly enough interested me a great deal and allow me to see the Moguls for more than just a barbaric group of Neanderthals, but rather a group of purpose driven warriors with a common goal of unity and progression. Jack Weatherford’s work has given me insight on and swayed my opinion of the Mongols.
The Mongols; a vicious and destructive military force, feared throughout its empire and under the rule of one man, Chinggis Khan. This picture of the Mongols and their empire is one often painted by our modern society. However, much of what we think we know about the Mongols has been exaggerated and biased from the point of view of the people that were conquered. In reality, the Mongols, although at times violent and destructive, bore many similarities in tactics and practices to the classical empires that had preceded them. They were not just simple barbaric savages looking to destroy whatever they could. They were a people united for a common purpose, trying to achieve it the same way that prior civilizations had done so: military force. Even though a Western perspective may find the actions of the Mongols objectionable, it must be understood that this was not a Western society, nor did it house the same values as one. The Mongols were not the destructive barbarians they are often made out to be, but rather an effective military force working for unification.
Throughout history, there have been many empires that have shaped the outcome of all life on this world that we live on. Some of the greatest empires in the world, the Roman Empire, the greatest militaristic regime in history, or perhaps we can look towards northern Europe and the British Empire, those who had the capability to control the greatest amount of land mass in history. However there is one thing that even those famed Brits never accomplished. Something only one group in history has managed to do, a group that stands out among a crowd of the greatest people to represent planet earth. The men to strike fear Into the most battle hardened soldiers, the barbarians, the moguls. So what did the Mongols accomplish that was special. They managed to conquer the largest contiguous land mass in the worlds an area that stretched from Egypt to Russia and also to encompass all of China. Doing this they managed to shape the lives of millions of people. from Russia to China and everywhere in between. However most historians agree that China was affected more than any other country by the reign of the Mongols. The effects the Mongolian Empire had on China were large and diverse, and included but not limited to the economic influx due to the increased amount of trade routes and the utilization of the peasant class, the social impact, as all people part of the Mongolian empire flew under one one banner, and finally the technological impact as ideas flourished under the watchful eye of the Mongols.
There’s something about cannibalism and children that Herodotus and Aeschylus cannot ignore—that usually children on the receiving end of an act of cannibalism are innocent. When this occurs, parents suffer excruciating pain from seeing their child subjected to cannibalism. For example, in the battle between the Persians and the Egyptians, the Egyptians slit Phane’s son’s throats as Herodotus describes, “When they had finished with all the children, the mercenaries poured wine and water into the bowl, and when they had all drunk some of the blood they joined the battle” (3.11), which details the Egyptian’s cruelty by drinking blood casually, like wine or water. Although we don’t know for sure how Phanes felt, the murder of his children like animals, coupled with the soldiers drinking their blood, would probably intensify his anger and sorrow. Agamemnon sacrificing Iphigenia is another case of a child as a victim of cannibalism but this time by the parent. When the winds won’t give way for Agamemnon’s ships to enter into battle, he decides to offer her to the gods as the Chorus
The Mongols were a group of nomadic people who were known for not only their ferocity in battle but also their tolerance of other cultures. Over the course of their many empires, the Mongols conquered lands from as far as the Korean peninsula to the Islamic civilizations of the Middle East. The movement of the Mongol people into these areas was met with mixed opinions, as members of some societies respected the braveness of the Mongols while others saw them as destructive. According to Ala-ad-Din Ata-Malik Juvaini, 15th century Korean scholars, and Rashid al-Din, the Mongols were a group of tolerant people who attempted to eradicate injustice and corruptness (1,3,4). However, members of other societies viewed the Mongols as coldhearted and merciless because of the damage they dealt in the conquest of Russian cities and the taxes they forced upon their conquered societies (1,2). Nonetheless, some scholars and historians recognized the Mongols power and braveness, but were indifferent with their views of the Mongol civilization.
In the 13th century BC, the Mongols rose to power and conquered an empire whose size still has yet to matched. The Mongols conquered lands such as China, leaving such a lasting influence on them that their legacy still lives on. However, despite the Mongols success, their actions have left a constantly ongoing debate on whether they were barbarians, seen and portrayed by different societies of their time as people with no morale or modern civilities, or civilized people who were just feared by other societies. Although the Mongols are generally now seen as Barbarians because of their violent and barbaric war tactics they used to instill fear in people, they are actually civilized because they had a strategically organized army, and because they were accepting of the customs of other peoples. These two elements would eventually lead them to their success.
Firstly, they were taught and trained from a very young age. All men over the age of fourteen were expected to undertake military duty (DOC B). By training their soldiers so young, by the time they were ready to fight, they were amazingly fast and strong which helped to conquer other lands. Second, the Mongols were very well organized which helped with communication. Organization flourished under Genghis Khan, the leader of the Mongols, control because he instituted new rules.
In mainstream American society, we tend to approach deafness as a defect. Helen Keller is alleged to have said, "Blindness cuts people off from things; deafness cuts people off from people." (rnib.org) This seems a very accurate description of what Keller's world must have been. We as hearing people tend to pity deaf people, or, if they succeed in the hearing world, admire them for overcoming a severe handicap. We tend to look at signing as an inferior substitute for "real" communication. We assume that all deaf people will try to lip-read and we applaud deaf people who use their voices to show us how far they have come from the grips of their disability. Given this climate, many hearing people are surprised, as I was at first, to learn of the existence of Deaf culture. To me deafness is not a defect but a source of connection. Imagine yourself deaf, growing up with a beautiful language, visual literature, humor, and theater. Imagine taking pride in your identity without any desire to become a member of the majority culture. For many deaf people, their community is a comforting relief from the isolation and condescension of the hearing world. However the Deaf community is far more than a support group for people who share a physical characteristic. Members of the Deaf community may have hearing levels that range from profoundly deaf to slightly hard-of-hearing. But no members of the Deaf community are "hearing impaired." Inside this community, deaf people become Deaf, proudly capitalizing their culture. Hearing people suddenly find that they are handicapped: "Deaf-impaired."
grew and lasted for about 108 years until they failed by trying to conquer India and were weak the Ming Dynasty overthrew the rulers. The Mongols were not afraid to kill. If one person refuses to do something for them their whole clan will pay, they would leave no survivors. That's what helped make them so successful, many had heard about their gruesome approach and surrendered and accepted submissions. The Mongolians of the Asian Steppe had a positive impact on the world during their rule of the Asian continent from 1206 to 1368 by influencing trade, warfare and uniting China.
Even though the Mongolian Empire did have some form of being civilized through their public works, the fact that they had harsh, strict laws and gruesome military tactics make them truly barbaric. It may seem as though the Mongolian Empire was advanced when looking at their public works, but since their citizens lived in fear, the Mongols did not develop to their fullest extent. In addition, their ruthless military tactics and severe laws suggest that they had no sense of mercy for others. As a result, the Mongols deserve to be referred to as barbaric. Still, it is important to recognize both sides of the story so that the Mongols are given the credit they deserve.
Retailers are constantly breathing behind consumer’s necks to persuade the individual that their brand is the best. In a result, these retailers are hoping the shopper will give in, buy the product(s), tell another friend about the brand, and push them to buy/show off the name. It is an ongoing and viscous cycle for individuals to keep their self-image updated with society. Moreover, the pressure to be accepted by others is influenced by buying a name brand item to avoid a negative response from peers. Jim Guest, author of Consumers and Consumerism in America Today, explains “In the current economic climate, consumers are constantly pressured to buy expensive, often unnecessary products and serves, and to live beyond their means” (148). A major reason for the overconsumption of brands are due to the popularity of brand ambassadors. As consumerism continues to grow, companies are becoming smarter and smarter; they will hire celebrities to endorse their brands and create an image of superiority for others to follow. To name a few examples, LeBron James, a professional basketball player, is endorsed by Nike; Carl’s Jr., a famous fast food chain, displays ads with beautiful models in bikinis eating their burgers; Kim Kardashian, a famous celebrity and fashion mogul, has endorsed Skechers sneakers. These are a few big named celebrities that