Why is Genghis Khan important to Mongolian democracy?

A Peaceful Protest for Democracy

"In 1206, nine years before the signing of the Magna Carta in England, Genghis Khan brought Mongolians the gifts of independence, nationhood and the basic principles from which they would one day build a modern democratic state," said Paula Sabloff, senior research scientist at the University of Pennsylvania Museum and curator of the exhibition. "Today, Mongolians identify Genghis Khan with their contemporary democratic principles."

The exhibition provides a comparison of the 1992 Mongolian and 1787 American constitutions, as well as a distinctly Mongolian perspective on what democracy means and how it is inspired by Genghis Khan's democratic principles. "Modern Mongolia" closes with a video presentation featuring recent interviews with Mongolians speaking on the heritage and the future of Mongolia.