Today, the first Great Khan is honored across Mongolia. While some Asians and Europeans remember him as a bloodthirsty conqueror, modern Mongolians see him a strong leader who united their people and created an empire that still shapes life in Eurasia. In 1962, the Mongolian government erected a statue of Chinggis Khan in honor of his 800th birthday. He is a visible source of pride for most Mongolians. His name has also appeared on products, such as Genghis Khan vodka, and his face has appeared on Mongolia's money.
Chinggis/Genghis Khan also appeals to Western filmmakers. In 2004, action film star Steven Seagal traveled to China to begin making a movie about the first Great Khan. Seagal planned to play the title role. This movie comes almost 50 years after the famous American actor John Wayne played Chinggis in a movie called The Conqueror.
Warfare. Archers shooting from horseback could not compete with heavy artillery. And once the nomads stopped raiding others for their wealth, they could not compete with the growing economies of the cities of Eurasia. Even in their own homeland, until just recently, the Mongols had to accept foreign domination.
Historians David O. Morgan and Reuven Amitai-Preiss, in the introduction to The Mongol Empire and Its Legacy, say the Mongols benefited from “the medieval equivalent of public relations consultants.” Such writers as Marco Polo and Rashid al-Din painted colorful, detailed portraits of the Mongols and their khanates. to those works, Morgan and Amitai-Preiss say, “the Mongols have remained on center-stage in the human imagination for hundreds of years.” The Mongols still amaze because no other people ever built such a massive empire so quickly. They fascinate because they mixed horrible cruelties with wise policies. And in parts of the world, the Mongol impact is still felt today.
World History
