>In reference to the sentence I quoted above, there was virtually
>nothing about 12th century Mongolian social structure that would have
>led anyone to think that a leader would arise who could unite fractious
>pastoral nomad clans and conquer most of the civilized world with them.
>
>
>I hate to use the worn phrase paradigm shift, but it does cover the
>situation where someone arises who can transcend the existing social
>structure and create a new one. Not often, though, but sometimes.
>
>I would imagine if someone had actually studied Genghiz's psychology,
>he likely would have seen a charismatic control freak who felt
>compelled to do something about steppe anarchy. Coupled with the
>weapons and tactics available to the nomads, that could have given our
>social psychologist a clue as to what might eventually happen.
But *why* was he such an extraordinary control freak? I believe he had an extraordinarily insecure upbringing, due in some measure to the social system in which he was raised.
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas