Debate question for next time: The Mongols got a bad rap
from historians. In fact, they deserve respect for creating a civilization with
a long- term impact on world history.
Debating this question in class was difficult because I had originally argued for the Mongols deserving respect because although they were barbaric, they did invent, influence and persevere. However, I was assigned the opposing side. Although difficult, I believe it was a good change for everyone to understand the opposing side. I am still on the fence about this question, especially since the term "respect" could be defined from different perspectives however, I have more to say opposing the statement and frankly the evidence is fresh in my mind. Although Mongolian men valued other Mongolian men forming a brotherly bond, they did not value the life of others. They suppressed and enslaved people. Simply, they were barbaric. Modern day society does not respect this behavior in fact as a society we condemn such behavior. We did learn from people like Mongolians on how not to act, however. Because they were nomads constantly assimilating with other civilizations, many of their ideas were borrowed. In addition, many of their achievements were achieved through instilling fear. Although they did conquer much of Afro-Eurasia, they did not establish their own sense of identity nor did they last long as a civilization so they could not have contributed to a long term impact on world history. In addition, Mongols were associated with the source for the disease, the Black death. Instead of creating their own unique civilization, they continued to destruct their own along with members of other civilizations. In conclusion, the Mongols were not creative enough to form their own civilization for us to learn positive aspects from, nor did they contribute to the establishment of a civilization, instead they destructed them.
