Genghis and Khubilai Khan

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Genghis Khan was the most successful individual ruler and military leader in all of world history even exceeding Napoleon Bonaparte and Alexander of Macedonia. The author points out that, in present day Mongolia and Eastern Asia, Genghis is regarded as a hero, who stands as a symbol of integration and as the father of a more modern social organization; and Khubilai's portraits still decorate the walls of modern Chinese temples and palaces. The paper stresses that the Mongols were killing machines on a scale that has probably never been matched in world history; however, they are also historical catalysts, who established pan-ethnic identities that have survived into modern times and who introduced notions of social mobility and open trade.

From the Paper:

"Essentially, since the title of Great Khan was never agreed upon by all of the kurultai for Guyuk Khan between 1241 and 1248, it opened the door for his cousin, Mongke, to take the title upon his death. However, Mongke Khan provided his brother, Khubilai, with the military resources to carve out his own empire in China through is battles with the Song Dynasty. As his power grew, Mongke became increasingly suspicious of his brother and named their youngest brother as his successor; the kurultai backed this decision. However, the damage was done. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Curtin, Jeremiah. The Mongols: a History. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1908.
• Grousset, Rene. Conqueror of the World. New York: Orion Press, 1966.
• Lamb, Harold. Genghis Khan: the Emperor of all Men. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1927.
• Rossabi, Morris. Khubilai Khan: His Life and Times. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1988.
• Weatherford, Jack. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. New York: Crown Publishers, 2004.

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• Comparison Essay # 133454 : "Islam and Progress"
• Essay # 73451 : "The Mongols In World History"

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