The Reagan Reversal: Foreign Policy and the End of the Cold War

by Fischer, Beth A.

• ISBN13: 9780826212870
• ISBN10: 0826212875
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-03-01
• Publisher: Univ of Missouri Pr

Summary

It is often assumed that Ronald Reagan's administration was reactive in bringing about the end of the cold war, that it was Mikhail Gorbachev's "new thinking" and congenial personality that led the administration to abandon its hard- line approach toward Moscow. InThe Reagan Reversal,now available in paperback, Beth A. Fischer convincingly demonstrates that President Reagan actually began seeking a rapprochement with the Kremlin fifteen monthsbeforeGorbachev took office. She shows that Reagan, known for his long-standing antipathy toward communism, suddenly began calling for "dialogue, cooperation, and understanding" between the superpowers. This well-written and concise study challenges the conventional wisdom about the president himself and reveals that Reagan was, at times, the driving force behind United States-Soviet policy.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction	p. 1
American Soviet Policy, 1981-1985	p. 16
Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Making: The Impact of the 1984 Presidential Election	p. 51
The Passive President: Reagan's Advisers and the Change in U.S. Soviet Policy	p. 69
The Reagan Reversal: The Case for Leader-Driven Policy Change	p. 102
Conclnsions	p. 144
Bibliography	p. 157
Index	p. 169
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