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It also completely destroyed Russian culture for example and set them back hundreds of years[1]. Payments to Mongols continued up until almost 1500. [1] http:/

• ansgri 12y ago
  It's debatable, but from your reference it seems like the opposite: It has been argued[by whom?] that without the Mongol destruction of Kievan Rus', the Tsardom of Russia and subsequently the Russian Empire would not have risen. Trade routes with the East came through the Rus' lands, making them a center for trade from both worlds. Mongol influence, while destructive to their enemies, had a significant long term effect on the rise of modern Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_invasion_of_Rus%27#Impact_on_development http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_invasion_of_Rus%27#Impac...
  • ajuc 12y ago
    It seems unlikely, considering the fact that the lands conquered by Mongols were later the most backward parts of Europe till at least XXth century.
    • eldargab 12y ago
      Nevertheless, Mongolian cities of 12-13 centuries had lots of gardens, hospitals, they had plumbing, sewerage system...
    • notahacker 12y ago
      The argument is that the effect of the invasions on both the Rus and other peoples in regions the Mongols conquered or subjugated might have been hugely beneficial to the ability of Tsars to rule a huge amount of land from St Petersburg afterwards, most of it to the east. That's is entirely consistent both with it decimating the earlier civilisation across a smaller region centered on Kiev, and with it having a negative impact on economic and cultural growth in that region and surrounding regions which was felt centuries afterward. Especially if you consider Tsarist rule that Mongol invasions arguably paved the way for to be amongst the factors responsible for the relative backwardness of the Russian Empire.
  • lqdc13 12y ago
    "significant long term effect on the rise of modern Russia" probably doesn't mean positive effect. Just that it happened this way because of Mongol rule. I.E. destruction of Kiev, crazy internal Mongolian-facilitated infighting and the rise of Moscow.
• eldargab 12y ago
  It doesn't. Even link you provided says about that. In fact, according to many historians, the only reason which made Mongolian expansion possible, was high degree of infighting and corruption within seized territories. This concerns not only Rus, but Bulgars, Khwarezm, etc. By establishing strong "fair" law they stopped long lasted inner-conflicts and "made life better".
  • aminok 12y ago
    "By establishing strong "fair" law they stopped long lasted inner-conflicts and "made life better"." They established fair law for 80 years at most, and at the price of killing off a substantial percentage of the peasantry (who the Mongols, as pastoralists, viewed individually as less valuable than a horse) of conquered regions. In Iran, the depopulation led to the underground irrigation system, known as the qanats, falling into disrepair, which led to formerly productive agricultural lands drying up, and the region regressing from agriculture to pastoralism. In the absence of a productive countryside, some of the largest cities never recovered until the 20th century.