King Caesar I

How would the world be different if the Mongols had never arisen?

Salah

Central Asia would probably have a larger population. The Imperial Japanese Army may not have called its suicide pilots 'kamikaze'.

Delenda est Roma

We wouldn't have the works of Marco Polo.

Hresvelgr

There's a very good chance there wouldn't be an Imperial Japan that gets into a massive war and ends up having to use aircraft in suicide attacks. The development of aircraft would also likely be radically different, you are talking about changing the history of the entire world back in the 1200's after all.

bartieboy

Probably not all to much different

Hresvelgr

Huh? Not having Genghis Khan conquering most of Asia is one of the most dramatic changes you could possibly introduce to history!

bartieboy

What lasting effect did it have then?
How different was China before and after the Mongol rule?
Granted, the mongols are not really my subject but I fail to see their long lasting significance.

Delenda est Roma

Butterfly effect, everything changes.

purakjelia

Mongols ended the ancient Chinese civilization and they massacred millions of Chinese. I kind of think that the mindset of the Chinese changed after the Mongol conquest of China; they became more conservative, less tolerant, and more close-minded. During the Tang and Song periods, China was a prosperous civilization; at that time, the Chinese were creative and open-minded. In brief, I think that China began to decline after the Mongol conquest.

Without the Mongol conquest, China's territory would be smaller, and probably it would be divided into several kingdoms or dynasties. However, China would probably be wealthier.

purakjelia

And I also think that without the Mongols annihilating the various Asian civilizations, the European civilization would not dominate the world easily. The Middle-Eastern civilization, the Central Asian civilizations, and the ancient Chinese civilization would all rival the European civilization. In a sense, the Mongol conquests of Asia indirectly contributed to the rise of Europe.