Some historians argue that Mongol empire building stimulated local economies and facilitated cultural exchange through the promotion of trade. Other historians, echoing the widespread hostility to Mongol rule that existed at the time, argue that Mongol domination retarded political and economic development in many areas. Which position do you think is true? Provide examples from Russia and China

Question

as talking points.

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

ANSWER:
There is no one definitive answer. The Mongols had a beneficial effect on some societies, and the opening of the Silk Road and the growth of trade did have a positive effect on societies along the Silk Road. Russia, for example, was in a period of decline under the Kievan princes, and trade was limited to a north-south route from the Vikings to Constantinople; thus the trade opportunities provided by the Golden Horde proved an advantage. At the same time, the opening of overland trade also permitted the transfer of diseases such as plague, typhoid, and smallpox. In Russia, privileges granted to the Orthodox Church helped it to remain a guiding institution that many historians argue preserved the Russian state from assimilation by Western Catholicism. Some other historians argue that the Mongol presence "retarded" Russia's economic, political, and intellectual development for two hundred years. Mongol hegemony permanently unified China into one political entity instead of three states, provided secure routes of transportation and communication, fostered an exchange of culture and knowledge between the east and west, and established a highly organized administrative system of government. It negatively affected China through harsh taxation, suppression of traditional Chinese systems such as Confucianism, and some argue through urbanization and exposure to the West. Additionally, unification within China exposed lowland areas previously isolated from the plague. Following the overthrow of the Yuan dynasty and the reestablishment by the Ming of Chinese traditions, some historians feel that China was stalled on its trajectory. Others argue that the mass communication made possible by the unification of China outweighed the problems, as did participation in the commercial developments of the Yuan dynasty.