The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan: A History of the End of the Cold War
New York, NY: Viking Books, 2009. First edition. First printing [stated]. Hardcover. xx, 396 p. Chronology. Illustrations. Notes. Index. In "The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan", "New York Times" bestselling author James Mann directs his keen analysis to Ronald Reagan's role in ending the Cold War. Drawing on new interviews and previously unavailable documents, Mann offers a fresh and compelling narrative-a new history assessing what Reagan did, and did not do, to help bring America's four-decade conflict with the Soviet Union to a close. As he did so masterfully in "Rise of the Vulcans", Mann sheds new light on the hidden aspects of American foreign policy. He reveals previously undisclosed secret messages between Reagan and Moscow; internal White House intrigues; and battles with leading figures such as Nixon and Kissinger, who repeatedly questioned Reagan's unfolding diplomacy with Mikhail Gorbachev. He details the background and fierce debate over Reagan's famous Berlin Wall speech and shows how it fitted into Reagan's policies. This book finally answers the troubling questions about Reagan's actual role in the crumbling of Soviet power; and concludes that by recognising the significance of Gorbachev, Reagan helped bring the Cold War to a close From Wikipedia: "Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981 1989). Prior to that, he was the 33rd Governor of California (1967 1975), and a radio, film and television actor. Born in Tampico, Illinois, and raised in Dixon, Reagan was educated at Eureka College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and sociology. After graduating, Reagan moved first to Iowa to work as a radio broadcaster and then, in 1937, to Los Angeles where he began a career as an actor, first in films and later television. Some of his most notable films include Knute Rockne, All American (1940), Kings Row (1942), and Bedtime for Bonzo (1951). Reagan served as President of the Screen Actors Guild and later as a spokesman for General Electric (GE); his start in politics occurred during his work for GE. Originally a member of the Democratic Party, his positions began shifting rightward in the 1950s, and he switched to the Republican Party in 1962. After delivering a rousing speech in support of Barry Goldwater's presidential candidacy in 1964, he was persuaded to seek the California governorship, winning two years later and again in 1970. He was defeated in his run for the Republican presidential nomination in 1968 and in 1976, but won both the nomination and general election in 1980, defeating incumbent Jimmy Carter. As president, Reagan implemented sweeping new political and economic initiatives. His supply-side economic policies, dubbed "Reaganomics", advocated reducing tax rates to spur economic growth, controlling the money supply to reduce inflation, deregulation of the economy, and reducing government spending. In his first term he survived an assassination attempt, took a hard line against labor unions, announced a new War on Drugs, and ordered an invasion of Grenada. He was re-elected in a landslide in 1984, proclaiming that it was "Morning in America". His second term was primarily marked by foreign matters, such as the ending of the Cold War, the 1986 bombing of Libya, and the revelation of the Iran Contra affair. Publicly describing the Soviet Union as an "evil empire", he supported anti-communist movements worldwide and spent his first term forgoing the strategy of détente by ordering a massive military buildup in an arms race with the USSR. Reagan negotiated with Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, culminating in the INF Treaty and the decrease of both countries' nuclear arsenals. Reagan left office in 1989. In 1994, the former president disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease earlier in the year; he died ten years later at the age of 93. A conservative icon, he ranks highly in public opinion polls of U.S. Presidents and is credited for generating an ideological renaissance on the American political right." Also from WIkipedia: "James Mann. Condition: Very good in very good dust jacket. Signed by author. Signature in blue but inscription is in the same hand in black ink, on t-p. Small black dot on bottom edge.
Keywords: Arms Control, ' Ronald Reagan, Cold War, Carlucci, Gorbachev, Dobrynin, Honecker, Kissinger, Suzanne Massie, Jack Matlock, Richard Nixon, Colin Powell, Nancy Reagan, George Shultz
ISBN: 9780670020546
[Book #67506]
Price: $45.00