CH 11: Mongols (For and/or Against)

FOR:

1. Acceptance and prominent roles for women in the Mongol society. Among the Mongols, the remarriage of widows were not negative compared to how the Chinese saw it, and women were able to ask for the divorce.  Mongol women also served as political advisers and were active in military affairs too.  One passage of importance I read said, “Girls and women ride and gallop as skillfully as men. We even saw them carrying quivers and bows, and the women can ride horses for as long as the men; they have shorter stirrups, handle horses very well, and mind all the property. Mongol women make everything: skin clothes, shoes, leggings, and everything made of leather. They drive carts and repair them, they load camels, and are quick and vigorous in all their tasks. They all wear trousers, and some of them shoot just like men.”

2. Mongol Empire revitalizes Silk Road commerce (13th-14th century)

3. The Mongols recognized the effectiveness of gunpowder and during their conquest of China, encouraged engineers to continue to develop new weapons.  This became the innovation of firing weapons and using explosives to turn the tide of battle.

4. The ratio and probability of their armies compared to their opposers, especially China, were outnumbered but they had tactical strategies that gave them the upper hand.

5. Their origin of pastoral society continued as they traveled during their conquest which created settlements using their resources and innovating agriculture with the use of their terrain/surroundings.

CONS:

1. They seemed to be using their military might and after becoming successful countless times, they become too confident if not "cocky" which led to their downfall.  One specifically was against Japan where their armada was not just defeated, but obliterated.  They tried to take Japan by force, but did not wait for their "allies" to aide them which led them to their defeat...

2. They were brutal as historically they depict and tell stories of how savage they were when they raided, looted, and continued their conquest through the lands.  They destroyed so many places and killed so many people including raping women, children were abused, and prisoners were tortured.

3. Even though it says that women were vital to their society, they were never really portrayed as special or significant which is upsetting.  It says they were important, yet we never hear about their achievements besides what the men did which overshadowed them and is disappointing.

4. As their story tells of great conquest, it did not last long as it seemed they were effected by the plague and also over achieved which set their fate in history.

5. The use of people as shield, catapults, and spreading the plague was like a nuclear warfare but is just unethical, immoral, and really sad that they disregard human life besides for their own gain...