The book continues to the first section: Reign of Terror on the Steppe. In this section, Weatherford covers Genghis Khan's early life, his rise to power and the unification of his homeland. Weatherford gives topographical and ecological descriptions of Mongolia, explaining how both greatly benefitted the Mongols in the expansion of their empire. He refers to Khan by his given name, Temujin and goes into great detail explaining his early years. Weatherford cites "The Secret History of the Mongols " as the main source for his information on Khan's early life (Weatherford pt. 1).
Part two of the book, "The Mongol World War," covers the expansion of the Mongol empire into Central Asia, China, the Middle East and Europe. Weatherford discusses the many invasions by Genghis Khan and his successors that followed his death in 1227. He reviews in depth the numerous types of fighting styles used by the Mongols, and covers their dietary habits and training regimen. Weatherford stresses that the diverseness of their military led them to become so successful. He also explains that while the Mongols committed some barbaric acts, it only occurred during the course of battle, but never for sport or amusement. He also gives many reasons behind each of the Mongol invasions, showing that they were not uncalculated (Weatherford pt.2). .
Weatherford continues with part three: Global Awakening. In this section he concentrates on the impact of the Mongols on the world. He begins with the division of the Mongol empire into four khanates which led to simultaneous transformations across Eurasia. Weatherford highlights the Mongol established, international trade routes. He insists that these routes allowed for an increase in trade, as well as the spread of new ideas, innovations, culture and religion from the Pacific Ocean to Western Europe (Weatherford pt. 3).
Weatherford concludes his book with an Epilogue giving a brief summary of Genghis Khan's life and how his conquest of the largest empire in history had a great impact on the development of the modern world.
