“Genghis Khan was the coldest and most calculating leader in the history of the modern world. His rule and that of his relatives was a time of oppression, revenge, and expansion without regard for those living in the lands of the Mongols. When people hear the name Genghis Khan they think of the Mongols, barbarians, cruel, harsh, heroes, intelligent and warriors. More often he is highlighted as a barbaric leader who only cared about himself, his land and caused chaos to others, I disagree. Genghis was a fierce ruler with a great desire to succeed and lead his empire to glory. It's right that he was barbaric and cruel to a certain extent, but he wasn't the person he was always perceived to be. Everything Genghis did was for his empire and success. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Many opinions about Genghis have been distorted because of his rivals. Europeans often distorted the facts about Genghis. Anything written about him by Europeans would obviously have him listed as a cruel leader. Before the Age of Enlightenment, Genghis was seen by Europeans as a humble, noble, and honorable king. When the Age of Enlightenment began they portrayed him as a cruel and monstrous ruler. Genghis' advanced army was the cause of this. Genghis was a fierce war leader who was a genius when it came to war tactics. Nowhere was Mongolian ingenuity demonstrated more than in the ability to turn their greatest asset, their large population, into a liability. Before attacking a city, the Mongols cleared out all the surrounding villages (92). Genghis was a militaristic genius that no one was able to hinder him when he was at his peak. Genghis' military strategies consisted of spy networks, military coordination, rapid communication, use of catapults, isolation of cities, and diversion of dams. Spy networks were a system of scouts who went around areas before the war to explore them and see if they could find information such as defenses, routes on roads and escape routes, military coordination consisted of Mongols setting ambushes, bites and flee, and huge waves of rushes. Catapults, isolation and diversion of dams were tactics used to kill the enemy without entering the city. Genghis' success stemmed primarily from his army and his ability to be a great strategist and warrior. The Europeans exaggerated the actions of the Mongols with propaganda. Even during the Soviet era, attempts were made to hide Genghis from history. They would remove it from textbooks and prevent students from learning about it until the Soviet states gained independence. This form of army made Europeans consider him a barbarian precisely because he could not be defeated or stopped. Genghis spread cultural diversity throughout Asia and Europe. In twenty-five years, the Mongol army subjugated more lands and peoples than the Romans had conquered in a hundred years (xvii Intro). Genghis expanded his empire to 12 million square miles. Wherever he went, he allowed those villages to maintain their religion, which allowed for interaction between different religions within the empire. This added a lot of cultural diversity within the Mongol Empire itself. This opened up many new ideas within the empire such as new ideologies, wars and beliefs. Because the empire spanned a vast territory, cultural diversity spread throughout Europe. Before his conquest of much of Asia, the Silk Roads were less used. When he conquered Asia he brought it back to power. The streets were safer now thank you'.