Mongolians weren’t good at propaganda nor writing their own history, hence the Mongolian Empire and his conquests were written by mostly the countries and kingdoms that were invaded.

Therefore many people have negative opinions about Chinggis Khaan and don’t think of him much favorably, mostly in Western Asian and European countries. Sometimes people find it surprising that there are monuments, statues, and worship of Chinggis in Mongolia.

So why do Mongolians look up to Chinggis Khaan and idolize him?

In short, he is the founding father of Mongolia. Without Chinggis Khaan, the country that is Mongolia that we know of would not exist. He is the George Washington or Alexander the Great for Mongolian people.

However, it begs the question, why is he everywhere and idolized so much in Mongolia.

It can mainly be attributed to a symbol of unity for Mongolic types of people. It’s a way to unite and inspire the general population. During socialism, any form of religion and old history pertaining to Mongolic origins was forbidden in Mongolia. You could say there was heavy propaganda from the Soviets to leave behind the old ways and look towards the future as a Soviet Republics.

While Mongolia was never officially part of the Soviet Union, it was more or less dictated by USSR and for 3-4 generations Mongolians lost touch with their history and religion.

However, once the Soviet Union fell, there was a resurgance of interest in old history and traditions. It sparked a sense of nationalism among Mongolian, something to be proud about. The government and politicians used Chinggis Khaan, one of the greatest historical figures in Eurasia as a way to unite the Mongolian people during the harsh times of the 1990s.

Since 1990s, he suddenly became very popular and statues, monuments, and shrines were built dedicated to him.

In some ways, it gives common folk inspiration and pride for having been such an important part of history.

However, it does also comes with some downsides. Instead of looking towards the future and accomplishing more things in life, some people still cling to the past glories and use it as an excuse. Ultra-nationalist groups such as Dayar Mongol have spread racist and negative influence in some Mongolian youths during 2010s.

However, the youth of today in 2021 are not as eager to idolize Chinggis Khaan and starting look at him more of a founding founder of Mongolia who’s a part of history. Compared with some older generations who almost make Chinggis a diety, the youth have a relaxed view.