Transcript The Mongol Empire - codegaapwh / AP World History

Why would a Russian guy in the 1800’s paint this image of the Mongol invasion of
Russia? (This is a POV question).
1200(ish) to 1350(ish)
China and the Mongols (1271-1368)
 The most difficult conquest for the
Mongols (70 years)
 Reunite China (Jin + S. Song)
 Wanted to extract wealth from China
 Ended up adopting some Chinese
culture and gov’t.
○ Began the Yuan Dynasty
○ Moved the capital to Beijing
Khubilai Khan tries to invade Japan,
Vietnam, and Java – ALL FAIL

The GOOD:
 Khubilai Khan (1271 – 1294) improved roads,
lowered some taxes, supported peasant agriculture
 Religiously tolerant (all Mongols were)

The BAD:




Did not become “Chinese”
Relied on Muslims to help rule
Discriminated against Han Chinese
Forbid intermarrying
 By 1368 the Mongols were forced out of
China
○ End of the Yuan Dynasty
Persia and the Mongols (1256 – 1335)
 The
Mongols won quickly and
brutally
 Baghdad in 1258 – 200,000 killed
(maybe)
 Mongol
rule was a disaster for
Persia
 Heavy taxes
 Migration of Mongol animal herds into
the area destroyed crops/land
 Irrigation networks neglected = fertile
lands wasted
Mongols
in Persia transformed
themselves :
 Used the Persian system of gov’t
 BECAME MUSLIM
 Started to practice agriculture
 Mongol dynasty fell in 1330 but
many stayed and became part of
Persian society.
Russia and the Mongols 1240- 1502
 Worst
experience of locals with the
Mongols
 Large scale slaughters
 artisans/women – deported into slavery
 From the Mongol point of view Russia:
○ Not on good trade routes
○ Primitive economy
○ Not worth it to occupy Russia
○ Never became Russian or even tried
Toward a World Economy
 Mongols
promoted trade for taxes
 Way to get money from more developed
civilizations
 Mongols
brought stability to trade
routes
 China and Europe closer together
 China was key to both the Silk Road and
the Indian Ocean Trade
Cultural Exchange
 Chinese
technology moves west
 Gunpowder, printing, compass, high-
temperature furnaces
 Europeans
gained the most from the
Mongol cultural exchanges
 Less advanced than Middle East/China
 Got the benefits of the Mongol exchange
without the consequences (death, destruction,
etc.)
The Plague: A Eurasian Pandemic
 A.K.A.
the Black Death
 Starts in Central Asia in the early 14th
century
 In China by 1331 and Western Europe
by 1347
○ 1/3 of Europe's population died during
the initial outbreak (1348 – 1350)
 1/3 of the Middle East's population
Impact of the Plague
 Created
labor shortages in Europe
 Survivors want higher wages = peasant revolts
○ Helped to undermine serfdom
 Greater interest in technology
○ Fostered future growth
 By
1350 the Silk Road is pretty much gone
 Encouraged Europeans to take to the sea for
trade
○ Become the DOMINANT force for the next 500
years