A thought provoking re-evaluation of Genghis Khan's rise to power sheds light on the revolutionary reforms the conqueror instituted throughout his empire, including religious freedom, diplomatic immunity, and the creation of the Silk Road free trade zone as well as on his uniting of the East and West, which set the foundation for the nation states and global economic systems of the modern era. Reprint. The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in twenty years than the Romans did in four hundred. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization. Vastly more progressive than his European or Asian counterparts, Genghis Khan abolished torture, granted universal religious freedom, and smashed feudal systems of aristocratic privilege. From the story of his rise through the tribal culture to the explosion of civilization that the Mongol Empire unleashed, this brilliant work of revisionist history is nothing less than the epic story of how the modern world was made.

Originally published in hardcover in New York by Crown, 2004.

Part 1 :The reign of terror on the steppe: 1162-1206 : The blood clot -- Tale of three rivers -- War of the Khans -- Part 2 : The Mongol world war: 1211-1261 : Spitting on the golden Khan -- Sultan versus Khan -- The discovery and conquest of Europe -- Warring queens -- Part 3 : The global awakening: 1262-1962 : Khubilai Khan and the new Mongol empire -- Their golden light -- The empire of illusion -- Epilogue : The eternal spirit of Genghis Khan.