The End of the Cold War: 1985 - 1991
Oct 2015 · Pan Macmillan
3.5star
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About this ebook
An acclaimed examination of the latter years of the Cold War, from one of the finest historians of modern Russia.
‘Absorbingly written . . . this book is destined to become a classic of Cold War historical literature’ – International Affairs
After decades of struggles between the USSR and the US over every aspect of security, economics and ideas, the Cold War had seemed like a permanent fixture in global politics. No Western or Soviet politician foresaw that the stand-off would end in their lifetimes, and even the 1985 election of Mikhail Gorbachëv did little to quell the fear of global nuclear Armageddon.
But just four years later, the Berlin Wall was dismantled and perestroika spread throughout the former Soviet bloc. It was a sea change in world history, which resulted in the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Drawing on a wealth of pioneering archival research, The End of the Cold War is a gripping investigation into these final years. A story of American pressure and Soviet long-term decline and over-stretch, it pinpoints the astonishing relationships between President Ronald Reagan and Gorbachëv, Secretary of State George Shultz and the USSR's last Foreign Affairs Minister, Eduard Shevardnadze, who found a way to cooperate during times of extraordinary change around the world. A small, skillful group of statesmen, they were determined to end the Cold War on their watch, irreversibly transforming the global geopolitical landscape.
In true Robert Service style – authoritative, compelling and meticulously researched – this is political history at its best.
‘Our leading historian of the Soviet Union . . . magisterial’ – The Observer
‘Absorbingly written . . . this book is destined to become a classic of Cold War historical literature’ – International Affairs
After decades of struggles between the USSR and the US over every aspect of security, economics and ideas, the Cold War had seemed like a permanent fixture in global politics. No Western or Soviet politician foresaw that the stand-off would end in their lifetimes, and even the 1985 election of Mikhail Gorbachëv did little to quell the fear of global nuclear Armageddon.
But just four years later, the Berlin Wall was dismantled and perestroika spread throughout the former Soviet bloc. It was a sea change in world history, which resulted in the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Drawing on a wealth of pioneering archival research, The End of the Cold War is a gripping investigation into these final years. A story of American pressure and Soviet long-term decline and over-stretch, it pinpoints the astonishing relationships between President Ronald Reagan and Gorbachëv, Secretary of State George Shultz and the USSR's last Foreign Affairs Minister, Eduard Shevardnadze, who found a way to cooperate during times of extraordinary change around the world. A small, skillful group of statesmen, they were determined to end the Cold War on their watch, irreversibly transforming the global geopolitical landscape.
In true Robert Service style – authoritative, compelling and meticulously researched – this is political history at its best.
‘Our leading historian of the Soviet Union . . . magisterial’ – The Observer
Ratings and reviews
3.5
2 reviews
Gideon Saunders
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March 13, 2022
This book is an exhaustive account of the correspondence between East and West and the efforts of Reagan and Gorbachev to de-escalate the Cold War at the end of the 80s. It provides a painstaking (at times tedious) account of the preparation for each international summit involving East-West relations. What this book doesn't do is explain why this process happened. Basically, we are told that Gorbachev wanted to end the Cold War because the Soviet economy was "bad". Why it was bad is never really addressed. Likewise we are told there were "hard liners" who resisted Gorbachev and domestic criticism of his actions without ever really understanding why this occurred. This is frustrating and makes it all seem incomplete. This is most apparent at the climax: The last 6 months of the USSR, involving the rise of Yeltsin, a failed coup and the independence movement are dealt with in less than 10 pages. Considering how fascinating these events also were, this is a major disappointment.
About the author
Robert Service is a Fellow of the British Academy and of St Antony's College, Oxford. He has written several books, including the highly acclaimed Lenin: A Biography, Blood on the Snow, Stalin: A Biography and The End of the Cold War, as well as many other books on Russia's past and present. Trotsky: A Biography was awarded the Duff Cooper Prize. Married with four children, he lives in London.
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