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ASSIGNMENT SHEET #1

MONGOLS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE

IN WORLD HISTORY

1. In the first quarter of the 13th

century, Genghis Khan unified the steppe nomads andbegan the Mongol conquest.

2. Almost all the men, with very few exceptions, in the Mongol Empire over the age of

20 were required to serve in the military.

3. The system of removing all able-bodied men of military age - those who are the mostcapable of putting up resistance from one town to be employed as soldiers against the nexttown was a most effective means of subjugation. Genghis Khan conquered thru diplomacy and

war.

4. Genghis Khan compensated for the small size of the Mongolian military with

systematic and bloody intimidation and terror. In all the land that they occupied, they scattered

the inhabitants, separated members of families and recruited many to serve in their military.

5. The Mongols successes are attributable to their discipline. There was no excuse forfailure. The army engaged in frequent exercises that involved masterful coordination among the

participating units that is accomplished thru careful planning and systematic communicationbetween units. Resources and knowhow were methodically mobilized and deployed to meetexigencies in far flung parts of the empire.

6. Mongolia was a nation of hunters and Genghis Khan loved to hunt. Mongolians aretrained to hunt starting when they are two or three years old.

7. (a) The same techniques in hunting, with few adaptations, were used in warfare. (b)Service in the military ended only when the soldier reached the age of sixty. (c) Quality not

quantity made the Mongol army superior. (d) The Mongols invasion of China is a goodexample. Faced with a formidable Chinese city for the first time, Genghiz Khan duped the

Chinese defenders. He offered to lift the siege if he were given 1,000 cats and 10,000 sparrows.When these were given, the Mongols tied materials to the tails of the animals and set these on

fire and then the animals were released. The animals quickly fled home, setting the Chinese city

on fire. Taking advantage of the confusion that followed, the Mongols were able to enter the

Chinese city and conquered the same. (e) The Yam (the Mongol courier/communication systemis impressive. It facilitated the travels of envoys, transportation of goods, speedy transmission of

royal orders from one part of the empire to another; and, it was a means thru which intelligence

was quickly received.

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CONCLUSION

The Mongols, like all conquerors, past or present, conquered with brute force. However,

the Mongols are very much unlike the barbarians that invaded Europe in the Dark Ages. The

Mongols provided systems of administration and imposed discipline that made people respect theestablished authorities. This system of administration, one way or another, contributed to thelong reign of the Khans and ensured the place of Mongolia in the annals of history.