The End of the Cold War: 1985-1991

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Author :
Publisher : Hachette UK
ISBN 13 : 161039500X
Total Pages : 688 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (13 download)

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Book Synopsis The End of the Cold War: 1985-1991 by : Robert Service

Download or read book The End of the Cold War: 1985-1991 written by Robert Service and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2015-11-10 with total page 688 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On 26 December, 1991, the hammer-and-sickle flag was lowered over the Kremlin for the last time. Yet, just six years earlier, when Mikhail Gorbachev became general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and chose Eduard Shevardnadze as his foreign minister, the Cold War seemed like a permanent fixture in world politics. Until its denouement, no Western or Soviet politician foresaw that the standoff between the two superpowers -- after decades of struggle over every aspect of security, politics, economics, and ideas -- would end within the lifetime of the current generation. Nor was it at all obvious that that the Soviet political leadership would undertake a huge internal reform of the USSR, or that the threat of a nuclear Armageddon could or would be peacefully wound down. Drawing on pioneering archival research, Robert Service's gripping investigation of the final years of the Cold War pinpoints the extraordinary relationships between Ronald Reagan, Gorbachev, George Shultz, and Shevardnadze, who found ways to cooperate during times of exceptional change around the world. A story of American pressure and Soviet long-term decline and overstretch, The End of the Cold War: 1985-1991 shows how a small but skillful group of statesmen grew determined to end the Cold War on their watch and transformed the global political landscape irreversibly.

The End of the Cold War

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1135188378
Total Pages : 211 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (351 download)

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Book Synopsis The End of the Cold War by : David Armstrong

Download or read book The End of the Cold War written by David Armstrong and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-11-05 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Giving an overview of the origins and history of the Cold War, this work considers whether the Cold War is truly over, and what the effects have been on Europe, and the former Soviet Union, as well as US foreign policy.

Gorbachev’s Revolution, 1985–1991

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Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 1349144053
Total Pages : 393 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (491 download)

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Book Synopsis Gorbachev’s Revolution, 1985–1991 by : Anthony D'Agostino

Download or read book Gorbachev’s Revolution, 1985–1991 written by Anthony D'Agostino and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-07-27 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This detailed and scholarly history, based on contemporary and original sources, explains the fall of Soviet Communism by bringing into focus the process of revolution from above. It finds as its cause Gorbachev's relentless political struggle to raise himself above the collective leadership which brought him to power. Gorbachev's Revolution, 1985-91 examines: · the impact of the SDI and other US arms programmes of the early 1980s which provided a stimulus for both Gorbachev's domestic reforms and his arms control initiatives · Perestroika, originally intended to show the world that a new Soviet foreign policy was based on real changes in Soviet society, however, Gorbachev launched its most radical measures in order to get an edge on his Politburo critics · Glasnost, originally meant to be a strictly controlled process furnishing an argument for piecemeal economic reforms This multi-faceted volume provides a wide-ranging and revisionist analysis of this fascinating and influential period in Soviet and international history.

At Cold War's End

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781780393742
Total Pages : 456 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (937 download)

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Book Synopsis At Cold War's End by : Center for the Study of Intelligence

Download or read book At Cold War's End written by Center for the Study of Intelligence and published by . This book was released on 2011-03-01 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Last Superpower Summits

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Publisher : Central European University Press
ISBN 13 : 9633861713
Total Pages : 1080 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (338 download)

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Book Synopsis The Last Superpower Summits by : Svetlana Savranskaya

Download or read book The Last Superpower Summits written by Svetlana Savranskaya and published by Central European University Press. This book was released on 2016-11-01 with total page 1080 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book publishes for the first time in print every word the American and Soviet leaders – Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, and George H.W. Bush – said to each other in their superpower summits from 1985 to 1991. Obtained by the authors through the Freedom of Information Act in the U.S., from the Gorbachev Foundation and the State Archive of the Russian Federation in Moscow, and from the personal donation of Anatoly Chernyaev, these previously Top Secret verbatim transcripts combine with key declassified preparatory and after-action documents from both sides to create a unique interactive documentary record of these historic highest-level talks – the conversations that ended the Cold War. The summits fueled a process of learning on both sides, as the authors argue in contextual essays on each summit and detailed headnotes on each document. Geneva 1985 and Reykjavik 1986 reduced Moscow's sense of threat and unleashed Reagan's inner abolitionist. Malta 1989 and Washington 1990 helped dampen any superpower sparks that might have flown in a time of revolutionary change in Eastern Europe, set off by Gorbachev and by Eastern Europeans (Solidarity, dissidents, reform Communists). The high level and scope of the dialogue between these world leaders was unprecedented, and is likely never to be repeated.

What Is at Stake Now

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Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1509543236
Total Pages : 114 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (95 download)

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Book Synopsis What Is at Stake Now by : Mikhail Gorbachev

Download or read book What Is at Stake Now written by Mikhail Gorbachev and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-09-28 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thirty years after the end of the Cold War, world peace is at risk again. The United States has withdrawn from the disarmament treaty with Russia, Europe is disintegrating, China is surging forward and a wave of nationalism and populism is destabilizing established political institutions and endangering hard-won liberties. Moreover, the coronavirus pandemic has brought into sharp relief the fragility of the global order and the speed with which it can slide into chaos. In view of this dangerous and unpredictable state of affairs, Mikhail Gorbachev, the last great statesman of the 1989 revolution, has written this short book to warn us of the grave risks we now face and to urge us all, political leaders and citizens alike, to take action to address them. He focuses on the big challenges of our time, such as the renewal of the arms race and the growing risks of nuclear war, the new tension between Russia and the West, the global environmental crisis, the global threat of diseases and epidemics, the rise of populism and the decline of democracy. He argues that self-serving policies and narrow-minded politics aimed at the pursuit of national interests are taking the place of political principles and overshadowing the vision of a free and just world for all peoples. He offers his view of where Russia is heading and he urges political leaders in the West to recognize that re-establishing trust between Russia and the West requires the courage of true leadership and a commitment to genuine dialogue and understanding on both sides. Now more than ever, the responses to the great challenges we face cannot be purely national in character but must be based on a collaborative effort in which political leaders put aside their differences and work together to advance the human security of all.

The Cold War Is Over--again

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Author :
Publisher : Westview Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 232 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis The Cold War Is Over--again by : Allen Lynch

Download or read book The Cold War Is Over--again written by Allen Lynch and published by Westview Press. This book was released on 1992-06-10 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, Allen Lynch challenges the common wisdom that the revolutionary events in Eastern Europe in 1989 and in the Soviet Union in 1991 marked the end of the cold war. Instead, he argues that the cold war was actually resolved by the early 1970s, as evidenced by the tacit acceptance of a divided Germany and Europe. More recent events thus overthrew not the cold war but the post-cold war order in East-West and U.S.-Soviet relations. And--often to their surprise and consternation--leaders of the governments involved must now face formidable new forces created by German unity and nationalism in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, which were contained efficiently--if at times brutally--by the post-cold war order. In its three sections, the book reviews historical, contemporary, and future-oriented themes, respectively. Lynch begins by exploring the deeper logic of the cold war and how it was resolved by the 1970s. He then presents an overview of recent Soviet domestic and foreign policy processes as they affect East-West relations. The concluding section considers the future, with special emphasis on the implications of a fragmented USSR for U.S. foreign policy.

The Collapse of the Soviet Union

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781076230294
Total Pages : 60 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (32 download)

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Book Synopsis The Collapse of the Soviet Union by : Charles River Editors

Download or read book The Collapse of the Soviet Union written by Charles River Editors and published by . This book was released on 2019-06-25 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes a bibliography for further reading The Cold War moved into one of its most dangerous phases after Brezhnev's death as both sides deployed nuclear weapons within alarming proximity in Europe. A NATO exercise, "Operation Able Archer," almost led to a Soviet miscalculation, and when the Soviets shot down a South Korean airliner in September 1983, claiming it had strayed into Soviet airspace, the Cold War became very tense indeed. After going through three elderly leaders in three years, Mikhail Gorbachev was chosen as the new General Secretary at the relatively youg age of 54 in March 1985. Gorbachev hoped to build the Soviet economy to relieve the persistent shortages of consumer goods it faced, which were caused by enormous military spending of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev tried to introduce some economic reforms, but they were blocked by communist hardliners. Gorbachev then came to the belief that the Soviet economy could not improved without political reform as well. Limited political reforms, such as broadcasting uncensored debates in which politicians openly questioned government policy, backfired when they energized eastern European opposition movements which began to overthrow their communist governments in 1989. Gorbachev was unwilling to reoccupy these eastern European nations and use the Soviet army to put down these revolts. Inspired by the revolts in Eastern Europe, the small Soviet Baltic republics, which had long chafed under Russian rule, also began to clamor for independence from the Soviet Union. In 1990, Gorbachev allowed non-Communist party politicians to run for office throughout the Soviet Union, and the Communist Party lost to independence candidates in six Soviet republics, including the three Baltic republics. The Baltic republics then declared independence from the Soviet Union. In comparison with other Soviet leaders, Gorbachev was leader of the USSR for a relatively short period, but the changes that took place under his leadership were monumental, including some that were intended and others that were unforeseen. Gorbachev oversaw the end of the Cold War and the peaceful transition away from communism in Central and Eastern Europe, and he ended the war in Afghanistan and many other proxy conflicts in the developing world. Gorbachev improved relations with the West and developed enough trust with President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush to decommission thousands of nuclear weapons. He also liberalized the political environment within the Soviet Union itself, increased accountability, and brought in a certain degree of democracy. Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for these efforts in 1990, but his regime also left a legacy of turbulence and destruction in its wake. As a result of his policies, many Soviet people rose up against the status quo, demanding national self-determination and reviving old grievances. Gorbachev could not prevent the USSR from disbanding at the end of 1991, leaving much of the country's economy in ruins and nationalist and ethnic conflicts that are still unresolved today. Gorbachev was more popular abroad than he was at home, and in many respects, historians are still debating the costs and benefits of the last Soviet General Secretary's approach. The Collapse of the Soviet Union: The History of the USSR Under Mikhail Gorbachev examines the final years of their empire, and how it all came crashing down in a relatively short period of time. Along with pictures of important people and places, you will learn about the collapse of the Soviet Union like never before.

Gorbachev

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Author :
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 023150019X
Total Pages : 450 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

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Book Synopsis Gorbachev by : Mikhail Gorbachev

Download or read book Gorbachev written by Mikhail Gorbachev and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 1999-10-20 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The last president of the Soviet Union discusses Communism, the Cold War, and bringing democracy to Russia in this sweeping political memoir. Drawing on his own experience and rich archival material, Mikhail Gorbachev shares his illuminating perspective on Russia's past, present, and future place in the world. Beginning with the October Revolution of 1917, he notes how much Vladimir Lenin and the Bolshevik Party did to modernize Russia. While he argues that the Soviet Union had a positive influence on social policy in the West, Gorbachev maintains that this positive development was cut short by Stalinist totalitarianism. Discussing the fall of the USSR in depth, Gorbachev examines the goals of perestroika, awakening ethnic tensions, the inability of democrats to unite, and his own attempts to preserve the union through reform. In retracing those fateful days, he explains the origins of Russia's present crisis. He then lays out a blueprint for Russia’s future, charting a path toward meaningful economic and political reforms. He also presents possible resolutions to a number of international dilemmas, including NATO expansion, the role of the UN, the fate of nuclear weapons, and environmental problems

Gorbachev

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Author :
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780231115155
Total Pages : 312 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (151 download)

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Book Synopsis Gorbachev by : Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev

Download or read book Gorbachev written by Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing on his own experience, rich archival material, and a keen sense of history and politics, Mikhail Gorbachev offers his rare perspective on a range of subjects concerning Russia's past, present, and future place in the world--including the October Revolution, the Cold War, and key figures such as Lenin, Stalin, and Yeltsin.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

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Author :
Publisher : Createspace Independent Pub
ISBN 13 : 9781508721321
Total Pages : 58 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (213 download)

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Book Synopsis The Fall of the Berlin Wall by : Charles River Editors

Download or read book The Fall of the Berlin Wall written by Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Pub. This book was released on 2015-03-04 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes accounts of the night the wall fell and celebrations afterward *Includes footnotes and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "This is a historic day. East Germany has announced that, starting immediately, its borders are open to everyone. The GDR is opening its borders ... the gates in the Berlin Wall stand open." - German anchorman Hans Joachim Friedrichs The Berlin Wall, constructed in October of 1961, stood for 28 years as an ugly divider of a once united Germany. The wall was successful at keeping many East Germans inside a country that fell further and further behind in living standards, democratic privileges, and individual freedoms. Despite its success, many found a way to cross the barrier to obtain a better life in the West. In addition, the Soviet Union was going through a period of political instability as several aging leaders had taken the top position in the Soviet Union only to die a short period of time later. In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev came to power seeking to repair the Soviets' economy, and he took a softer stance toward the United States. The two leaders signed agreements to reduce the number of nuclear weapons and eliminate certain types of ballistic missiles. Gorbachev also reformed the Soviet Union internally, lifting restrictions on individual freedoms. Limited political reforms, such as broadcasting uncensored debates in which politicians openly questioned government policy, backfired when they energized eastern European opposition movements which began to overthrow their communist governments in 1989. Gorbachev was unwilling to reoccupy these eastern European nations and use the Soviet army to put down these revolts. Things came to a head in Berlin that November. With rapid change throughout Europe, the wall faced a challenge it could not contain, the challenge of the spread of democracy. On the night of November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall was effectively removed from the midst of the city it so long divided. It was removed with pick axes and sledgehammers, but also removed from the hearts and minds of the people on both sides who only hours before had thought the wall's existence insurmountable. The fall of the Berlin Wall is often considered the end of the Cold War, and the following month both President Bush and Gorbachev declared the Cold War over, but the Cold War had been thawing for most of the 1980s. President Reagan is remembered for calling the Soviet Union an "evil empire" and demanding that Gorbachev tear down the wall, but he spent the last several years of his presidency working with the Soviet leader to improve relations. The end of the Soviet Union came when Gorbachev resigned on December 25, 1991. The Soviet Union formally dissolved the next day, and the Cold War was over, with the United States outlasting its long-time adversary. The Fall of the Berlin Wall: The History of the Unification of Germany and the End of the Cold War looks at the history that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the construction of the Berlin Wall like never before, in no time at all.

Russian Foreign Policy and the End of the Cold War

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Author :
Publisher : Dartmouth Publishing Company
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 328 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Russian Foreign Policy and the End of the Cold War by : Mike Bowker

Download or read book Russian Foreign Policy and the End of the Cold War written by Mike Bowker and published by Dartmouth Publishing Company. This book was released on 1997 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The cold war dominated international politics in the second half of the twentieth century. Before Gorbachev became leader of the Soviet Union in 1985, few could ever have imagined a world without the East-West divide. Yet, six years later, the cold war was over. The Berlin Wall was down, Germany was reunited and Marxism-Leninism had been abandoned throughout Europe. How this happened is the main focus of the first half of this book. The author looks in detail at both internal and external factors precipitating change in Russia. Monocausal explanations are rejected. Instead, it is argued that the reason for change varied over time and across issue areas. However, the book does emphasize the importance of Gorbachev and his reformist colleagues in initiating reform in the USSR and bringing the cold war to a peaceful end.The second half of the book looks at the post-soviet period when the initial euphoria over the end of communism gave way to growing unease both inside and outside Russia. Russian diplomacy in Yugoslavia and the war in Chechnya were just two of the most important prominent actions which led many Western commentators to accuse Moscow of adopting a more nationalist and aggressive foreign policy. However, the author argues that this shift in policy is easy to exaggerate. The brutal war in Chechnya was certainly a terrible warning of what could happen, but it remained untypical of policy during the Yeltsin period. A return to hostile relations with the West is not impossible, but it remains highly unlikely. For in contrast to the cold war period, both sides now agree on the principles of a liberal international order and this, rather than the current weakness of Russia, would seem to offer the best hope in the coming years for a co-operative, less antagonistic Russian policy towards it neighbours and the West

Conversations with Gorbachev

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Author :
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231529279
Total Pages : 255 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

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Book Synopsis Conversations with Gorbachev by : Mikhail Gorbachev

Download or read book Conversations with Gorbachev written by Mikhail Gorbachev and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2012-08-14 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mikhail Gorbachev and Zdenek Mlynar were friends for half a century, since they first crossed paths as students in 1950. Although one was a Russian and the other a Czech, they were both ardent supporters of communism and socialism. One took part in laying the groundwork for and carrying out the Prague spring; the other opened a new political era in Soviet world politics. In 1993 they decided that their conversations might be of interest to others and so they began to tape-record them. This book is the product of that “thinking out loud” process. It is an absorbing record of two friends trying to explain to one another their views on the problems and events that determined their destinies. From reminiscences of their starry-eyed university days to reflections on the use of force to “save socialism” to contemplation of the end of the cold war, here is a far more candid picture of Gorbachev than we have ever seen before.

The War that Never was

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780297813200
Total Pages : 456 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (132 download)

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Book Synopsis The War that Never was by : David Pryce-Jones

Download or read book The War that Never was written by David Pryce-Jones and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The collapse of the Soviet Union was one of the great determining moments of history. An empire dissolved, and with it Communism, the creed which had sustained the projection of Soviet power. Confrontation, civil war, even nuclear apocalypse, seemed more likely than the abdication and surrender which in fact unfolded. Mikhail Gorbachev was the General Secretary who presided over the last years of the empire and the Party. What had begun as reform turned into the ruin of everything he had stood for all his life. Germany was reunited, and the Baltic states recovered their independence. With the exception of Romania, opposition governments replaced the Communists through processes of negotiation and election in one Soviet satellite after another. The Cold War melted away.

The Human Factor

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Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190614919
Total Pages : 448 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (96 download)

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Book Synopsis The Human Factor by : Archie Brown

Download or read book The Human Factor written by Archie Brown and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-03-13 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this penetrating analysis of the role of political leadership in the Cold War's ending, Archie Brown shows why the popular view that Western economic and military strength left the Soviet Union with no alternative but to admit defeat is wrong. To understand the significance of the parts played by Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher in East-West relations in the second half of the 1980s, Brown addresses several specific questions: What were the values and assumptions of these leaders, and how did their perceptions evolve? What were the major influences on them? To what extent were they reflecting the views of their own political establishment or challenging them? How important for ending the East-West standoff were their interrelations? Would any of the realistically alternative leaders of their countries at that time have pursued approximately the same policies? The Cold War got colder in the early 1980s and the relationship between the two military superpowers, the USA and the Soviet Union, each of whom had the capacity to annihilate the other, was tense. By the end of the decade, East-West relations had been utterly transformed, with most of the dividing lines - including the division of Europe - removed. Engagement between Gorbachev and Reagan was a crucial part of that process of change. More surprising was Thatcher's role. Regarded by Reagan as his ideological and political soulmate, she formed also a strong and supportive relationship with Gorbachev (beginning three months before he came to power). Promoting Gorbachev in Washington as 'a man to do business with', she became, in the words of her foreign policy adviser Sir Percy Cradock, 'an agent of influence in both directions'.

Living Through the End of the Cold War

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Author :
Publisher : Greenhaven Press, Incorporated
ISBN 13 : 9780737721331
Total Pages : 141 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (213 download)

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Book Synopsis Living Through the End of the Cold War by : Jeff Hay

Download or read book Living Through the End of the Cold War written by Jeff Hay and published by Greenhaven Press, Incorporated. This book was released on 2005 with total page 141 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a collection of essays and speeches by prominent figures such as Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin and others that chronicle the events and issues connected to the Cold War.

Reagan and Gorbachev

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Author :
Publisher : Random House (NY)
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 404 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Reagan and Gorbachev by : Jack F. Matlock

Download or read book Reagan and Gorbachev written by Jack F. Matlock and published by Random House (NY). This book was released on 2004 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In "Reagan and Gorbachev," Matlock gives an eyewitness account of how the Cold War ended, with humankind declared the winner. The author was Reagan's principal advisor on Soviet and European affairs, and later the United States ambassador to the USSR.