Mongol trial

I enjoyed the Mongol trial very much, and I would consider it the most fun and involving activity we have done this year. It was not very difficult in terms of research, we knew most of the information we needed already just from reading the chapter. In terms of the role I played, I think I did my job to the best of my ability and put up a strong argument against Futaba's ruthless cross examination.
After this trial, I actually view the Mongols less as ruthless barbarians and more as skilled empire builders. Although I would hate them if I was the one being conquered, if I were part of them I would see it as survival of the fittest, and that is why I respect them so much. As far as the charges against them go, I would definitely find them guilty of kidnapping and terrorism. They frequently forced people form their lands against their will and used complete destruction as intimidation for future opponents, which I can not really fault them for. If you think about it, if they have a reputation for being unstoppable and ruthless, then it is more likely their next opponents would just surrender. This saves lives and resources for the Mongols while simultaneously allowing them to expand at a faster rate.
The genocide charges I believe are completely false however. They did not systematically single out a religion or culture and look to destroy it. They simply aimed their sights on a territory and took it, whoever was occupying it really made no difference to them. In the future I would like to do more activities like this. It forces everyone in the class to participate while at the same time gaining new perspectives on the people we are learning about. In terms of today's standards the Mongols were savages, they ruthlessly killed for selfish reasons. The best comparison I could give would be the nazis trying to expand (minus the genocide part) and it is obvious how we view them. However, during their time things were radically different. Large scale warfare and empire building was common, and the Mongols should not be looked down upon for being extremely skilled at it.