History of Mongolia
Mongolian history begins with the nomadic people on the plains. Their first step towards unity was in about 300 BC when the Huns united to create a loosely organized government. However after this unity, little changed as the people continued their lives as nomads on the plains. Even at times when political rule fell apart, life didn't change much for the people as they moved with their animals during the seasons.
The 700s brought the next wave of change as the Uighurs (an ethnic Turkish group) entered the scene and ruled over the Huns or Mongols, but never formed a strong government, although they did introduce communication and educational changes.
Again, life carried on until the 1100s when these people, now a mix of a number of ethnicities, united under a Mongol named Temujin (Genghis Khan). By the early 1200s he had united all the tribes and began overrunning neighboring peoples. Under his rule education expanded further and the Mongol culture was quickly changing as these tribes that once were separate were now communicating and working together.
During and after Genghis Khan's rule the Mongols became successful warriors as they overran dozens of people, including the powerful Chinese. Eventually, their empire became too vast to control and it fell into a number of kingdoms. The strongest of these was based in modern day Beijing and for some time was ruled over by Kublai Khan, who started China's short-lived Yuan Dynasty. The most significant impact this time period had on modern day Mongolia was that many of the Mongols converted to Buddhism with the encouragement from the Tibetans.