Customer Reviews

Russia and the Golden Horde: The Mongol Impact on Medieval Russian History

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Not a quick read, this book will probably tell you lots more than you wanted to know if you have just a casual interest in the subject. That aside, it covers its subject thoroughly. Analyzing word etymology, documents, and institutions, Halperin shows that the Russians borrowed quite a bit from the Mongols -- and that the 300-year "Tatar Yoke" was far from being a dark age for Russia. One thing that particularly grabbed me: Halperin indicates that pre-conquest Russian scribes attributed nomad raids to punishments from God. So, how did the scribes handle the situation after the conquest, when Christians were under the domination of infidels? By denying the conquest had occurred!

What was the impact of the Mongol invasion on Russia? That is the subject of this book. Historians have attempted to answer this question for centuries, and the historiography of the Golden Horde has always been a mixed bag positions. Charles Halperin's belief that an "ideology of silence" limited the impact of the Golden Horde leaves the reader confused as to whether or not Halperin believes that the Mongols had an impact on Russia.

The confusion is a result of Halperin's "defensive" tone throughout the book. Halperin is definitely a revisionist historian whose thesis rubbed off many entrenched Russian historians the wrong way. Halperin's book spends far too much time attempting to discredit previous historical interpretations that have been tested through time. Indeed, the book seems like a long list of historiographical axes to grind.

Furthermore, Halperin's inability to present evidence that suggests that Orthodox Christians had an ideology of silence does not help prove his argument. The lack of primary sources-due to the destruction of limited Mongol writings, as well as the limited written texts of Golden Horde Russia-is not really taken into consideration as to Halperin's argument. Therefore, Halperin's arguments are a variety of "maybe" or "could have" happened events, rather than strong documented interpretations. Halperin himself, despite knowing the limitations of the written record, still encourages readers to "read between the lines" in order to support his argument. However, nowhere does any Russian document state or infer that writers of Russia were in an unified effort of ideological silence. Halperin would want us to assume that each writer of the time was on the same ideological position as the other without ever writing, mentioning or recording it! There is no evidence to support this or Halperin's argument.

Unfortunately, while I don't agree with Halperin's arguments, the book is still used in Universities to introduce students to the Russia and The Golden Horde. In a sense that is the only positive of this book. The historiographical lists throughout the book, and the axes Halperin wants to grind, help provide some knowledge into Mongol Ruled Russia. I would advise that further reading be done to fully appreciate the era, and to make a judgment on Halperin yourselves.

There is little here that is not found in more general histories. He thinks that Russian historians have underestimated the Mongol impact on Russia, so specialists may want to check his interpretation. It can be read as a history of the period, but most general histories will work about as well.

The problem is that the author is presented with a dillemma when he decides to say that all the bad press about the "Mongol Yoke" on Russia is simply untrue. He now has to claim that several chroniclers in different parts of the country over different centuries had a conspiracy of silence about the excellence of Mongol rule. Besides the fact that the documented horrors and atrocities match what was said about the Mongols by their other literate victims, of which there were many, this conspiracy theory is a lot harder to believe than the traditional tale that the Mongols oppressed the Russians and caused a horrible burden on the country.
I agree with only two things he said in this book. One he disagreed with the ecological reason (insufficient fodder or climate problems) for explaining the sudden Mongol withdrawal from Europe in 1242. His arguments sound reasonable.
Secondly, I agree that all of Russia's problems in the centuries after the Mongols should not be blamed on the Mongols. Kievan Rus before the Mongols was not totally functional, had its share of tyrants and oppression, as did China before and after the Mongols. The Mongols don't deserve all the blame for Russia's dark side, but their influence sure as heck didn't help. To claim that Mongol rule benefited Russia overall is the definition of a tall tale, and this book is a great tall tale. If you want to believe that all the work of every historian before Halperin was wrong, then Russia and the Golden Horde is for you!