But the question was most influential, not most powerful.

Much more of our lives today (banking, government, religion, etc) you can trace back to the Romans. Almost none of it can you trace back to the Mongols.

Without the mongols, it's unlikely Russia would of ever been the USSR.  It was there intereference that changed the balance of power among the Russians.

The Yuan Dynasty was mighty influential.

Not to mention that the mongols pretty much re-arranged all of asia.  That HAD To have effected the events of history.

The mongols were so influential partially because of their destruction.

Banking was actually Summerian.

Their military strategy was basically just the greek's strategy. 

Well, you have a point. I mean if I follow one peoples way of life, but another people murdered 50% of our population, what group had the most influence?

I look at it as once the dust is settled, we pick up and live life as we did, just with less of us. Yes, that makes a difference, but out civilization is not changed, just how many people we have to live it.

I do agree however that the Mongols had a huge impact on the world.

British. Owning over a quater of the world has led to various nations such as

South Africa
Canada
New Zealand
Australia
Most of Caribbean
Half of Africa in pockets
India
Pakistan
USA - Until early independence

They have all been greatly influenced with the British way of life

I guess the reason I have a hard time picking them (and the US), is while both have had a huge impact on the world, what they have really done is expand the Romans culture (granted a lot of things have changed too).

I think the Romans were the first people who took over nations, with the belief that doing so would make that country a better place. Most of the time they were right. The British and the US do the same. There is this feeling of doing the right thing that's part of there culture.

This is Roman influence however, and not British. Every time the Brits did this kind of thing, it was an example of why the Romans had such an influence.

We do get our language from the british, but not sure that's such a great thing. As far as languages go, English kind of sucks.

The British completed what the Romans started. They were more successful in that respect on a worldwide level. Also English may suck but it's one of the biggest "leftovers" from the empire and amazingly enough over a quater of the world speaks some form of English.

Americanisation is sweaping across the world (China and India) and in maybe 200 years we will be tlaking about how that has had the greatest influence over people.

But the muslims attacked Europe way before Europeans attacked them in the Holy Land.

Btw, what do you mean by "will eventually pass on the Renaissance to the Europeans"?

The Romans clearly first, but I think the Greeks deserve to be mentioned in the poll, I'd put them on second most influental. The British are third.