Eric Wilson
I believe that knowledge and lessons can be learned from all of the civilizations we have covered this semester. Some of the biggest lessons, in my opinion, can be learned from the rise and fall of the Mongols. The Mongol Empire, specifically in the time period around the 1100s, rose to power and established themselves all across Asia. They covered a very large area that extended from the East China Sea to Eastern Europe. A large amount of their success was due to the leadership of Genghis Khan who rallied the nomadic tribes to work together and conquer many different regions.
The Empire relied heavily on the sole leadership of Khan and his successors. However, in a sense, the Empire put all of its eggs in one basket. The eventual fall of the Empire came after the death of Ogedei Khan, Genghis’ third son. The Empire was expanding west when their expedition was halted after the death of their leader. Based on what we learned in class and our discussions, it seems that the Mongols relied solely on the leadership from the Khan’s. There was no sort of disbursal of power to more than just the Khan leader. As a result, the Empire crumbled once its assigned leader passed away. Relating this to the Fleet today, we need to learn to delegate certain powers and responsibilities. If too many powers and responsibilities lie on one person, a team unit will not be able to operate without its leader present. As an officer we must learn to delegate responsibilities and knowledge to those within the group because if the officer is ever taken away from a situation, the unit needs to still be able to operate.
Additionally, the Mongols found much of their success through their strategy and tactics throughout their conquests. When conquering regions, the Mongols would slaughter their opposition by using superior military tactics. This slaughter of the opposition is noted in The Perfect History by Ibn al-Athir from 1225. Regarding the Mongol Empire, he states, “These Tartars… came from the East, and wrought deeds which horrify all who hear of them, and which thou shalt, please God, see set forth in full detail in their proper connection.” This fearful view of the Mongols stems from their ability to annihilate opponents. The technology and tactics utilized allowed them to succeed at a very high level. We can learn lessons from this by seeing the effects tactics and weaponry. In today’s military, we must remain superior in the areas of tactics and weaponry. While we shouldn’t necessarily carry the expansionist approach of the Mongols, we can still remain on top of these areas. If we do, we can experience success through the comfort of knowing we are safe and that we can respond to any threats in an effective manner.
Ultimately, the Mongols were a very successful empire that can teach us many lessons today. Their rise to power shows the effectiveness of tactics and strategy, while their defeat can show how delegation of power is necessary. By modernizing some of the successes of the Mongols and by correcting their faults, I believe we can take these lessons and apply them to be better naval officers today.
Word Count (excluding quotes): 502
Sources: The Perfect History by Ibn al-Athir (c. 1225)
The West in the Pre-Modern World 
Eric, I liked how you focused your essay on both the rise and the fall of the Mongol Empire. Oftentimes, in history class, we are only taught the glorious parts of an empire and not the deficient parts. However, I believe that as a future naval officer, we must also look at the deficient parts of Empires so that we do not commit the same mistakes. I particularly like this statement that you made, “modernizing some of the successes of the Mongols and by correcting their faults…we can take these lessons and apply them to be better naval officers today”. It is important for officers to realize that, even though these events happened hundreds and thousands of years ago, they can still be relevant for us to study today. I found it interesting how you brought up the fact that a major problem contributing to the fall of the Mongol Empire was the Khan’s trouble delegating power. Furthering your point, when the leader dies, it would lead to a power struggle for those elites below him, adding to halted expansion more. You also brought up a point that one of the successes of the empire was the use of excellent military tactics and weaponry. Any officer, no matter which branch or country, can definitely learn a lot about annihilation and rapid success from studying the Mongols.
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Melissa Cortese
Word Count: 226
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Response by: MIDN 3/C Ionatan Soule, USN
First off, I thought this was a well thought out and written essay. Your analysis of the Mongol’s collapse and the reasons for it are very relevant to any vertically integrated command structure. You focus on the need for a dispersal of leadership and delegation by officers. Another important aspect of this, however, is a leader’s ability to step up. As an officer, it is up to you personally to prepare yourself to take charge if need be. One must be able to delegate, but one also must be capable of moving up in the chain at any given moment to fill in any vacancy that may arise for whatever reason. To do this effectively, one must also train their subordinates to be self-sufficient. Had the Mongols prepared for the inevitable death of their leader, their empire would have most likely lasted much longer. Unfortunately for them (but fortunately for many others), they had no contingency plan and the inability for those below the Khan to operate independently lead directly to their downfall.
Word count: 173
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