Make no mistake, the Mongols and the United States are two of the most important nations in all of world history. As rulers of the world’s largest contiguous empire, the Mongols of Chinggis Khan took government of aristocrats, by aristocrats, and for aristocrats to its apotheosis. Having achieved the ultimate limit to its power, it was the Mongols too who brought that order to its end. 

Through their creation of the institution of the Dalai Lama and transference of power to Géluk Buddhism, the Mongols ended the age of kings, when the likes of Qubilai Khan reigned supreme, and ushered in the age of soteriological dominion, dual regency government of priests, by priests, and for priests, wherein church and state ruled in tandem under the ultimate authority of the church. 

With ratification of James Madison’s First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on December 15, 1791, Americans rent asunder what the Mongols had joined in one and gave the world democracy, government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Dr. Brian Baumann's talk discusses this arc to world history simply as a question of religion. Drawing from his experience in Mongolia as a Peace Corps volunteer and his academic work as a scholar of Mongolian Studies, Dr. Baumann in his talk at Commonwealth Club World Affairs hopes to use its exercise in comparative religion to bring meaningful perspective to contemporary world politics.

About the Speaker

Brian Baumann teaches UC Berkeley's Mongolian Studies' curriculum in the departments of East Asian Languages and Cultures and Group in Buddhist Studies. His pursuit of Mongolian studies stems from a two-year tenure in Mongolia with the Peace Corps, 1991–93. His scholarship covers the history of Mongolia broadly with concentration on language, science and religion.