Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
by Jack Weatherford · first published 2004
73% recommend27% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Revisionist history that credits Genghis and Kublai Khan's institutions and governance while not glossing over the violence; readers find it a factual, engaging read and a good starting point for world history.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The name Genghis Khan often conjures the image of a relentless, bloodthirsty barbarian on horseback leading a ruthless band of nomadic warriors in the looting of the civilized world. But the surprising truth is that Genghis Khan was a visionary leader whose conquests joined backward Europe with the flourishing cultures of Asia to trigger a global awakening, an unprecedented explosion of technologies, trade, and ideas. In Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, Jack Weatherford, the only Western scholar ever to be allowed into the Mongols' "Great Taboo"--Genghis Khan's homeland and for
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…RLS - Absolutely loved it. Now I need to power through the 800ish episodes of One Piece. 4/5 King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green - The story moves pretty fast. 4/5 Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford - Khan as a historical figure fascinates me and I enjoyed this book. Don't know if it's just me, but Weatherford does seem to handwave Mongol atrocities. 4/5 Genghis Khan and the…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗Antifragile - Nicholas Nassim Taleb Mother Night - Kurt Vonnegut Pavarotti: My World - Luciano Pavarotti, William Wright Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World - Jack Weatherford
on “Ask HN: What books have most influenced the way you see the world?” ↗Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World narrated by Jack Weatherford was quite cool to listen to.
on “Ask HN: What are the best audiobooks you have ever listened to?” ↗…digging deeper and doing a retrospective, and write a blog post by early 2021. - Cant't hurt me by David Goggins. - Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. - Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday. (Re-read) - Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford. A very un-assuming book that taught me lot about leadership. - How to influence and win friends (re-read 3rd or 4th time). - Humble Inquiry by Edgar Schein. - I am Malala (daughter…
on “Good Books for a Lousy Year” ↗…articles. For this year, here are some of the books I liked (quite a few of them are re-reads); - The Story of My Experiments with Truth, the autobiography of Mohandas K. Gandhi (English Version) - Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford - Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb - Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson - The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created…
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗Almost done with Genghis Khan and the making of the modern world by Jack Weatherford, I really enjoyed it. If someone can recommend other updated, history reads about empires, world history etc.
on “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” ↗For an interesting historical perspective of the interaction, check "Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World" by Jack Weatherford http://www.amazon.com/Genghis-Khan-Making-Modern-World/dp/06...
on “The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race” ↗Lawrence in Arabia by Scott Anderson A mathematician's apology by G.H Hardy My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgaard Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford Churchill: Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts Lenin: The Man, the Dictator, and the Master of Terror by Victor Sebestyen Hamilton by Ron Chernow
on “Ask HN: Biographies recommendations – both Westerner and Non-westerner” ↗…brutality was an intimidation tactic. It was very selectively applied. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23708182 He also did much to bring modern human rights to his subjects. You can read about it in Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford, an anthropologist who lives in Mongolia part-time. https://amzn.com/B000FCK206
on “A Google bot scrapes pricing info by adding items to carts” ↗I read a lot of books,[1] and Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World[2] by Jack Weatherford[3], is one of the very few books that I could claim to be brilliant. Genghis Khan was way ahead of his time. My biggest surprise learning about his story was about his meritocratic…
on ““The Secret History of the Mongols”: A digital history approach” ↗For some reason, the website is down for me. I have always been fascinated by the Mongols after reading “Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World” by Jack Weatherford. Recently, I stumbled upon the 6:40+ hour YouTube video, “The Mongols - Terror of the Steppe.” You might like it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdFwMDuAnS4
on “The Mongol Khans of Medieval France” ↗As a Mongolian I highly recommend "Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World". It remains strictly factual without adding neither positive nor negative biases to the stories. Amazon link to Book https://www.amazon.com/Genghis-Khan-Making-Modern-World/dp/B... AudioBook version…
on “Subutai – Primary military strategist of Genghis Khan” ↗A great book on the subject is "Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World"[0], a revisionist history which emphasizes the institutions and liberalism of Genghis and Kublai Khan's reigns while not soft-pedaling the violence that made it possible. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genghis_Khan_and_the_Making_of_...
on “Pax Mongolica” ↗not the OP, but this was covered a fair bit in a book I read recently called "genghis khan and the making of the modern world" which was a pretty good read. Iirc it was that the figting forces of the various northern chinese states were comprised of conscript peasants whose diet consisted of grain and not much else, which stunted…
on “Beyond Meat Is Struggling, and the Plant-Based Meat Industry Worries” ↗I read genghis khan and the making of the modern world a while back, it was an excellent book.
on “'Empires of the Steppes' by Kenneth W. Harl Review” ↗