When the word "Mongol" is mentioned, I automatically have negative thoughts about uneducated and barbaric people who are horribly cruel and violent. This is only because I have only heard the word used to describe such a person. I never really registered the initial information I was taught on the subject beyond the point of needing it and having to know it. I felt quite incompetent on the subject and once I was given an assignment on the book Genghis Khan and the Creation of the Modern Age, I was very perplexed for two reasons. First, I have to read an outside book for a class that already requires a lot of time to read the text, and second, I have to write a history research paper. I got over it and read the book, which, surprisingly, really interested me and allowed me to see the Moguls as more than just a barbaric group of Neanderthals, but rather as a group of warriors determined with a common goal of unity and progression. . Jack Weatherford's work gave me insight and influenced my opinion of the Mongols. Jack Weatherford showed great enthusiasm and passion in portraying Genghis Khan as a great leader, responsible for the unity of the people and various other achievements. He had a very positive attitude towards the subject, although he did not intend to write a book about it, but rather about the history of world trade. During his research on the Silk Road, he traveled to Mongolia and gained vital first-hand information about the vast achievements of Genghis Khan and the Mongols (xxx). He seems upset by previous ideas that many believe cast his beloved Mongolians in anything other than a positive and respectful light. It also expresses feelings about the later Chinese culture of Mon ...... middle of paper ...... then and still does today. The Mongolian World Awakening brought about further technological advancements, such as carpenters using less general adze and more specialized adapted tools. New crops were also developed (235). Mongol pre-eminence was destroyed following the Black Death. The Mongols influenced many concepts and ideas that we still see used today in politics and international relations. Jack Weatherford greatly changed my view of the true Mongol and not the barbarian and savage I once thought of just by hearing the word. I am very unhappy with this research paper and I know I may not get the grade I want, but at least I learned something new and destroyed the idea I had about these people just by completing it, so I feel like it served its purpose. goal and that's the only reason I changed my mind.