November
29
Blog #92 – Pivotal Moment of Reagan Presidency
After reading your short answers comparing Reagan’s 1st and 2nd terms regarding foreign policy, and it made me wonder what you think is the turning point of Reagan’s presidency, especially with regards to the Cold War and the Soviet Union.
Schools of history fall into a couple of areas regarding the end of the Cold War:
- Gorbachev is the main reason why the Cold War ended. It was his reforms (glasnost and perestroika), different from the previous Soviet leaders, that prompted Reagan to renew negotiations over reducing / eliminating nuclear weapons;
- Gorbachev was the reason why Reagan considered the Zero Option in Europe – Gorbachev proposed the Zero Option (for all nuclear weapons) at the Reykjavik Summit which eventually turned into the INF Treaty in 1987 that eliminated all intermediate range nuclear missiles (especially those in Europe).
- It was Reagan playing hard ball with the Soviets / Gorbachev over SDI when Gorbachev proposed the Zero Option at the Reykjavik Summit in 1986, that Reagan refused to abandon SDI, which led to the INF Treaty (in a roundabout way).
- SDI’s introduction was the pivotal moment of the Reagan presidency because it forced the Soviets back on their heels, wondering how to counter it, and if there could be anything done about it.
- Reagan’s refusal to entertain detente and cast the Soviet Union as the “evil empire”, plus a massive increase in military spending caused the Soviets to match us or risk losing the edge it had in conventional and nuclear weapons.
But there is also some unconventional thinking about the Reagan / Bush administrations and how they helped end the Cold War:
- The CIA’s aid to the mujahideen in Afghanistan helped sink the Soviets deeper into an unwinnable war, forcing the Soviets to use their best troops, and spend oodles of money that it didn’t have.
- While the Berlin Wall collapsed and the Eastern European countries and Soviet Republics broke away (1989-1991), President Bush did everything he could to encourage them to put democracy first and Communism second. He did not ask for military aid to be sent to these countries, but he supported their break w/ the Soviets. Even during the hard-line coup in the Soviet Union in August 1991, President Bush and his administration fought hard to support Russian President Boris Yeltsin in his resistance to the Communists.
In my opinion, the event that led to the end of the Cold War was #5, Reagan’s refusal of detente and the increase in military spending. This caused the end of the Cold War because it triggered a Soviet response to spend more money on the military because the increase spending of the United States was pushing the US ahead of the Soviets in arms. Because the Soviets started to spend big on military again, the economy went even further down because the government was moving money away from social spending and towards the military. In their communist government, this would mean the end because communism is based off of the government providing everything for the people. Since the Soviet government couldn’t afford to keep spending on the military and still have a communist government, a number of actions took place. The INF treaty was signed to help stop the arms race and free of some money for social programs. Another result was Glasnost and Perestroika which were a weakening of the communist government. Had there been no massive increase in arms spending, these wouldn’t have taken place. Because the increase of arms spending, the economy in the Soviet Union collapsed, causing a need for a change in its economy, perestroika. This policy was the beginning of the softening of the communist economy as it introduced some free market practices. This would eventually turn into the rejection of communism and the fall of the Soviet Union. Glasnost was also caused by the increased arms spending by the U.S. because the Soviet government needed to do something different to save the struggling economy and government. Glasnost would allow for the people’s opinion on how things were going in their country to be expressed and the government clearly needed the people’s help on what should be done to help the struggling economy. Also, less restrictions would reduce cost, which glasnost did because the Soviets now didn’t have to pay government run news. This policy would also bring the collapse of the Soviet Union becuase it was the begging of the change of government being less of a dictatorship. An argument can be made that these two policies were because of Gorbachev entering office and I agree that he had something to do with it because I don’t think any other leader would have done these things, but if the Soviets were not put into such a financial bind by Reagan’s spending, they would have had no reason to make these changes.
General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev was the main driving force in ending the Cold War, for a number of reasons. First off, prior to his rise to power in the mid-1980s, there had been three Soviet leaders in a short span who died of old age and were very typical of what we as Americans see as a Cold War-era communist leader who did not like the United States and what Americans stood for. Gorbachev was different in that he was willing to negotiate in a diplomatic, non-threatening manner that made him easy to work with, a component that was critical in the change in President Ronald Reagan’s foreign policy during his second term, where he was more open to discussion and negotiation with Gorbachev in contrast to his hardcore anti-Soviet rhetoric. Reagan and Gorbachev, through a series of summits and meetings, developed a mutual respect for one another and their relationship was the main reason for the signing of the INF Treaty in 1987 which eliminated several thousands nuclear warheads on both sides. In addition to Gorbachev’s diplomatic relations with Reagan, he also ended Soviet involvement in Afghanistan and introduced glasnost and perestroika, or openness and economic reform. The former allowed people to criticize the government without fear of retaliation and the latter introduced capitalism to the Soviet economy, which were both big steps away from communism. The most significant action Gorbachev took that helped end the Cold War was end Soviet involvement and influence in Eastern Europe. He pulled out Soviet military forces, which allowed peaceful overthrows of every communist government in Eastern Europe and effectively remove the USSR’s main foothold in the world, significantly reducing its global power because the Soviets simply had no more allies and seemed to be losing the Cold War after losing its greatest foothold. Gorbachev’s policies, both foreign and domestic, were the main driving force in ending the Cold War because they set the stage for the necessary changes to remove and decrease communist influence in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.
I feel that the turning point of Reagan’s presidency in relation to the Cold War would be the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the US responding with supplying the Mujahideen with weapons. This made Afghanistan hell for the Soviet Union in many of the same ways that Vietnam was hell for America. The troops in both Vietnam and Afghanistan were young, drafted, and either did not wanted to fight or did not know why they were fighting, although usually a mixture of both. Also, the US funded the Mujahideen during the war, who understood the terrain better of Afghanistan than the Soviets. The Soviet soldiers also felt that no matter how many Mujahideen they killed, they would still pop up again the next day. This is similar to Vietnam for a number of reasons. When the US entered Vietnam, just like when the Soviets entered Afghanistan, both times the soldiers felt hopeless and confused the whole time, and felt that they could not really do any damage to the enemy, as they would just sprout up again the next day in the same village. Also, in Vietnam, the US wasted billions of dollars to stay and fight in the war, and the reason was more for honor than actually accomplishing anything, which is very similar to the reasons that the Soviets ended up staying in Afghanistan so long. Also, in the Vietnam War, the Soviets funded the Vietcong, and in Afghanistan, we funded the Mujahideen, so that Is another accurate comparison. All these comparisons meant that after the Soviets were done fighting in Afghanistan, they felt just as humiliated and defeated as we did when we got out of Vietnam. This meant that both the US and the Soviet Union were sick and tired of the Cold War, and were both ready to usher in a new era of peace under the Reagan administration.
In my opinion, it was the introduction of SDI that was the most pivotal point in the Cold War. Being that SDI was a completely new concept that no one had ever even contemplated, Reagan was able to take not only the Soviet Union, but the whole world by surprise. While most believed it was a feat much to challenging to be completed, there was also that nagging, “Oh god, what if he can pull it off” feeling also. For that exact reason, the Soviet Union was forced to rethink their strategies. They all knew that there was no chance that Reagan would not be able to pull it off, but there is always that small concern that bothers you in bed at night. It’s funny however, that a thought as small as a crazy nuclear defense system, can cause such terror throughout not only a powerful government, but the whole country as well. But as unlikely as it sounds, SDI did exactly that. For the first time, the Soviet Union was faced with a problem they didn’t know how to solve, or if there was even a solution. It was a bad place to be in for a country who had never faced a scare quite this big. Even scarier, Reagan went on national TV and proposed to all the scientists of the US that they become a part in the making of this system, that they rack their brains for any way this could work. To the Soviet Union, there looked to be a real chance that SDI was coming into existence. And I don’t blame them. A system that powerful, with a sole purpose to go against your country is terrifying. SDI opened the eyes of Soviets and showed just what America was capable of. Even though it would never end up becoming more than a blueprint, the United States proved that they were a force to be reckoned with and not to be taken lightly. The people of the Soviet Union’s eyes were opened. They were now completely aware that maybe WWII had ended, but there was another huge problem on the horizon, and it was coming at them very quickly.
Gorbachev was the pivotal person who ended the Cold War. Prior to when Gorbachev was a Soviet leader, the countries had tense relations, and were very hostile towards one another. When Gorbachev came to power, he introduced glasnost and perestroika. Glasnost was created to open the government up to consultation, and make the government more transparent. Perestroika intended to completely reform the Soviet Union- it called for increased labor and industry. Since these new policies showed how drastically different Gorbachev was from his predecessors, Reagan was willing to try negotiating with the Soviets. This civility between the two nations was previously unheard of- Reagan even used to refer to the Soviet Union as the “Evil Empire” This is one reason Gorbachev did the majority to end the cold war. Another is Gorbachev modified the Zero Option. Before, Reagan proposed that he wouldn’t deploy missiles into Europe if the Soviets removed their missiles targeting Europe. But Gorbachev proposed to get rid of all nuclear missiles, if Reagan would give up on his plan of the SDI. Reagan refused, but the two still managed to negotiate the INF treaty- which eliminated all the intermediate range nuclear missiles. Without this agreement, the nuclear arms race would’ve been more costly and dangerous, and could’ve prolonged the Cold War. SDI was another issue that proved Reagan wasn’t the person who did the most to end the cold war. SDI, the Strategic Defensive Initiative, was built to protect the United States from missile attacks (predominately from the Soviet Union). It would cost millions of dollars, and if we created it, it would force other countries to expand their nuclear warfare into space as well. SDI was used to destroy missiles that were aimed at the US, and would’ve given us full control over nuclear warfare. In his first term of presidency, Reagan also caused more issues that extended the length of the cold war. He viewed détente as a sign of weakness, and he wanted a much harsher foreign policy. But in his second term, when the war threat began to decrease, he had adopted many practices détente had dealt with. He used to view accommodation and negotiation poorly, but his negotiations with Gorbachev are what brought the Cold War to a close. Some may argue that Reagan was more essential in ending the cold war because he created a large debt in the Soviet Union; by sending aid to the mujaheddin, forcing the Soviets to spend more money than they had. But if you also account for Reagan’s stubbornness in some affairs, and everything Gorbachev did to aid the ending, it seems clear that Gorbachev was much more crucial towards ending the cold war.
The appointment of Mikhail Gorbachev as the Soviet Union’s General Secretary was the most pivotal to ending the Cold War for several reasons. Firstly, all leaders of the Soviet Union before Gorbachev were stubborn and hated America’s democratic values like our capitalistic society. Also, they didn’t like to think or negotiate with Americans. However unlike the past leaders, Gorbachev meant change for a strictly communist regime. Gorbachev showed change when he started his program labeled glasnost (openness) in 1985 which called for a more open consultative government and the allowing of critique towards the government without the fear of punishment. This was the Soviet Union’s first step towards a more democratic government. Another example of change was when he removed Soviet involvement in Afghanistan which was pushing for a Communist government. Additionally, Gorbachev implemented another program called perestroika (restructure), which called for the reforming of the Soviet economy and political system. Lastly under Gorbachev’s rule, he lightened up his grasp on Eastern European nations which led to the revolutions in each country to get rid of their Communist government. This change led to the fortieth president, Ronald Reagan, to change also but in a different manner. Reagan totally abolished his foreign policy plans in his first term as president which could be described as aggressive to a gentle and more negotiable scheme. This ultimately led to a series of meetings betweens the two super powers in hope for a new relationship. Fortunately, the meetings helped Reagan and Gorbachev develop respect for each other and a compromise was made through the INF Treaty which enforced the destruction of intermediate range missiles. Overall, all of the sudden change in the Soviet Union under General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev’s rule affected America’s perspective of them and ended the Cold War because it led to a more democratic rule which resulted in a better relationship between the two super powers.
I think the creation of SDI was a pivotal moment of the Reagan presidency. When the Soviets found out about SDI it really scared them. They now felt that their only way to defend themselves was gone. Knowing that their nukes could be obliterated had them do some thinking. This development had them discuss the future of the Soviet Union. Through learning about the SDI there was the first Summit that had occurred in about 6 years which was incredibly. Detente, even though Reagan hated it because it made us seem weak, was occurring. The Soviets and the U.S. began discussing important issues. There were two Summits where they discussed human rights, Afghanistan, and others things. When the subject of SDI came up Reagan refused to disassemble it. This was a big issue between Reagan and Gorbachev but Reagan was stubborn. In keeping SDI the Soviets knew they were running out of time and had to make a decision fast. They were spending too much money and had to find a better way. Then there was the “Zero Option”. The idea at first was that the Soviets would get rid of their nukes and that the US would take them out of Europe and stop making them. That idea turned into getting rid of the Nukes for both the US and the Soviets. This idea fell through. The Soviets had to come to a conclusion to help save their nation. December 8th, 1987 in Washington D.C. the INF treaty was signed. This treaty said that each side will destroy two categories of nuclear weapons. This was a big achievement for both the Soviet Union and the United States. With out the threat of the Strategic Defense Initiative, the Soviets never would have pushed to settle with the United States. The creation of SDI was one of the most pivotal moments that helped end the Cold War.
Gorbachev’s rise to power and subsequent reforms, including the implementation of glasnost and perestroika, reshaped how the world would view the Soviet Union, helping end the Cold War. In fact, Gorbachev’s new approach to governing the USSR is the single most pivotal event in regards to ending the Cold War. Before Gorbachev, the Soviet Union saw a string of leaders with incredibly similar mindsets and ideas. Sure, some of their leaders might have been a little more extreme than others, or some may have been harder to work with, but when it boils down, they really were the same. There were very few major differences among Soviet leaders prior to Gorbachev taking power. Because of Soviet refusal to change their ways, American presidents found themselves in the same place year after year. The players might have been different, but the game was the same. Mikhail Gorbachev was different. Unlike his predecessors, Gorbachev was open to change and even adopting certain western ideas – something very radical for a communist leader to do. His newly formed policies of glasnost and perestroika meant that a totally different Soviet Union was in the works. US leaders had been reluctant to work with a Soviet government, but now that the nation was transforming under Gorbachev, we were more interested in compromise. The United States was firmly rooted in our capitalistic and national beliefs and we were not going to change those; if there was going to be change, the change would have to come from the soviets. Glasnost and perestroika were exactly the type of change that we wanted to see. These reformed not only restructured the soviet economy and foreign policy, but also its pop-culture as it was exposed to Western influences. The former brought the United States to the negotiation table while the latter gathered the support of the Soviet people to end the Cold War. Prior to these reforms, both countries likely wanted to see the Cold War come to a close, but it wasn’t until Gorbachev that this was a feasible goal. Gorbachev westernized the Soviet Union just enough to make the United States more willing to cooperate. If Gorbachev and these reforms had not occurred, it’s likely that the USA and the Soviet Union would have been at an ideological stalemate for quite some time.
In my opinion, number 1 was the reason that led to the end of the cold war. Gorbachev was the changing factor to end the Cold War, his approach as the general secretary of the Soviet Union. The reforms he made when he was put in charge of the Soviet Union such as glasnost and perestroika changed the Soviet Union with the freedom of government and other things in the Soviet Union. But, the biggest thing that Gorbachev did to end the cold war was he changed his point of view on the Americans then other Soviet leaders did in the past. He extended an arm to the Americans in the beginning when he first started and snowball effected into the meetings with Reagan at the summit. I feel like this ended the cold war because this event extended the arm to make other events such as 2,3,4, and 5 happen. I feel this because Reagan and Gorbachev would have never met up if tensions didn’t die down; they wouldn’t feel safe around each other, which would make it not possible for treaties like SALT and INF to be signed to get rid of the nukes, and these are the treaties that ended the cold war nuclear tension. I also feel that number 4 had a pivotal role in the extending arm from Gorbachev, I feel this because I feel that the Soviet union also had no answer for the SDI created by Reagan. I felt that the Soviets were very scared about this newly formed SDI, because the rumor was it would be able to locate any launched nuclear missile and would be able to find it by satellites and shoot it down with in minutes of the launching of it. So Gorbachev probably thought in his mind that there was no point in having these missiles if they would just be shot down anyways. So he extended the arm and got rid of the nukes which ended the cold war.
I believe that US military aid to Islamist rebels in Afghanistan was the primary reason for the collapse of the Soviet Union. Aside from the massive amounts of money the Soviets spent on the war (further weakening the economy),as well as the high body count which undermined the government’s popularity, there was a much more powerful psychological and ideological effect. Up until Gorbachev’s rise to power, the USSR was under a path of militant Communism. This idea was that the USSR is invincible, and that it should use its sprawling power and unmatched strength to overthrow oppressive governments and “liberate” the workers there by establishing left wing administrations. This militant attitude was seen in Stalin’s “no coexistence” speech all the way up to Brezhnev’s initial decision to send Soviet troops into Afghanistan so as to preserve Amin’s regime. When the Soviets took appalling losses with almost no benefit or gain, it shattered the image of the unbreakable Soviet Union. The Soviet people had trusted the central bureaucracy and the military clique with managing the nation and the spread of global communism-but once that hope was shattered by a small rural militia in a far away, underdeveloped country, the image of militant communism died off. After all, if the government could not build a successful communist society in a nation like Afghanistan, how was it supposed to manage the workers in a sprawling nation like the Soviet Union? People and politics only change when there is discontent with the current situation. Up until the Afghan War, the Politburo could keep the majority of anti-Soviet ideas locked away. After the absolute embarrassment of retreat from Afghanistan, people concluded that the old ways will simply not work anymore. This rising discontent and desire for something new built the foundations for Mikhail Gorbachev and his followers to come into power with a new brand of tolerant and pragmatic socialism. While Gorbachev was the Soviet Premier who ended the Cold War, his governance would have not been tolerated by Soviet officials or people had it not been for the victory in Afghanistan caused by extensive amounts of US aid.
The end of the Cold War was caused by many reasons. The Afghanistan War, the SDI, and also the fact of opposing détente were important factors, but I believe Gorbachev was the cause of the end of the Cold War. The young and energetic leader opposed all images previously given by the other leaders on the USSR. He adopted new ways of ruling, giving the Soviet citizens more liberties and rights. He was slowly but surely breaking off of communism. This dramatic change attracted Reagan’s attention. He had the thought of “Evil Empire” still attached to his head. Reagan started communicating with the Soviet Union, and “socialized” more than he had ever done. He and Gorbachev had their different ways of doing and mindsets, but they agreed on one thing: Operation Zero, which aimed to eliminate all nuclear weapons. Their agreement seemed too great to last, and in fact it didn’t. For it to be passed, Reagan was demanded to give up SDI, the center of his Presidency. He refused, but in 1987, at the INF Treaty, the two leaders abolished and removed thousands of nuclear weapons and missiles, decreasing the tensions between the two countries. The tension was released, but the conflict was still happening. Meanwhile, Gorbachev was involuntary destroying his country, due to Perestroika and Glasnost. He gave the soviets a taste of something different than communism, making impossible for him to remove his new policies, and making the civilians want even more liberties and comfort. Towards the end of his presidency, Reagan visited the Soviet’s Capitol, taking back his nickname “Evil Empire”, and for the first time he saw good in the USSR. Gorbachev did the same, and even appealed to the American population. He was very social and showed America a good side of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev and Reagan had become “friends”, and so0mewhat reunited the two countries, which meant the end of the Soviet Union: like Stalin and Churchill had once said, no coexistence is possible between capitalism and communism. Gorbachev was the end of his own country, and the beginning of a new era.
Gorbachev’s reforms (glasnost and perestroika), which was completely different from the previous Soviet leaders, caused Reagan to negotiate over eliminating nuclear weapons leading to the end of the cold war. Within Reagan’s first presidency he was completely against teaming with the Soviets for peace, so much so that he called them the “evil empire”, and even went so far to say that to negotiate with communists was immoral; rejecting Nixon’s previous détente plan. Not only that, but he created SDI as a defense mechanism against the Soviets. It was a project that he introduced which would, if it worked, be able to block any nuclear bomb from us, or any of our allied nations before ever reaching us. This plan displays his distrust and aggression towards the Soviets. However, after seeing and witnessing Gorbachev’s restructuring and openness he was more willing to negotiate for peace between the two nations. Gorbachev was young in age and in his concepts. He gave way more freedom to the media and religious groups, and even allowed the citizens to differ in opinion from the government. He even moved the government more towards a democratic policy; allowing elections. All of these new changes lessened the communist hold on the Soviet Union and led more towards democracy which contributed to the relaxedness and easiness that President Reagan now had for Gorbachev and the Soviet Union. Gorbachev allowed Reagan to consider and agree upon the Zero Option in Europe. The Zero Option was the proposal of zero nuclear weapons at the Reykjavik Summit which turned into the INF or Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 1987. This not only reduced but completely eliminated all of the medium range missiles from the Soviets and the United States especially in Europe. This complete turn around and sudden friendliness for the Soviet Union is accredited to Mikhail Gorbachev and his new ideals and reforms causing the end of the long and bitter Cold War.
Many Soviet leaders, starting with Stalin, viewed the United States as some sort of “boogeyman” that was evil. As a result of this, the Cold War to the Soviets was mostly headed by the beliefs of whoever was in charge, and all of the Soviet leaders wanted to see America fall. Mikhail Gorbachev was different from his predecessors by setting an example through his openness to the differences between the USSR and the US. The most different thing he did than his staunchly communist predecessors was to enact the policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (economic restructuring), which promoted democracy more than communism. Beyond just his policies, Gorbachev was also younger than most Soviet leaders; he was only 55 when he was in office, and is still alive today. Because of this, Gorbachev brought more energy and life into the government of the Soviet Union with his public charm. He would greet people in the streets and talk to them, he would smile and wave, and overall shined with enthusiasm. Gorbachev’s policies and personality made then President Reagan to rethink his position on the USSR. Reagan had previously called the Soviet Union an/the “evil empire,” and to show his hate for détente, he tripled the US’s military spending. This, of course, put the Soviet Union on edge, especially with Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative/SDI/Star Wars. This plan would have made nuclear war obsolete by blasting down nuclear missiles from space, and the USSR couldn’t keep up with that technology or spending.
Reagan met with Gorbachev at Geneva in 1985, and the meeting started to change Reagan’s mind about the Soviets. Even though no treaties or documents were made, this showed that the Soviet Union and United States could peacefully talk together, and Gorbachev’s personality is what made that work. A year later in Reykjavik, Iceland, the two leaders met and discussed getting rid of nuclear weapons, which was Gorbachev’s idea. Although Reagan and Gorbachev couldn’t work out a treaty then (because Gorbachev wouldn’t do anything until Reagan stopped SDI, and he wasn’t willing to), they were able sign the INF treaty a year later, which eliminated intermediate range cruise missiles. This treaty set a precedent for what President Bush was going to have to do, and Bush and Gorbachev were able to sign three START treaties, but those wouldn’t be possible without Gorbachev’s working with Reagan and his own country’s policies to end the Cold War.
The turning point in the end of the Cold War was the appointment of Mikhail Gorbachev as the Soviet Union’s leader. The appointment of Gorbachev came with his concepts of glasnost and perestroika which, in turn, also contributed to the pivotal ending of the Cold War. Before Gorbachev became the Soviet’s leader, the Soviet Union refused to have peaceful relations with the United States. We were not much better because we had also refused to have peaceful relations with them. The U.S. was strictly against any communism, and the Soviet Union was strongly for communism. The Soviet and American leaders continually clashed with their differing opinions. This refusal escalated the Cold War with the continuation of proxy wars in Afghanistan. With the fight of Communism by the Afghan leaders and the U.S. aiding the rebel group, the Cold War rose to new heights. But the Soviet Union was facing a problem on their own soil, the economy was almost nonexistent. People were suffering from the Soviet’s insistence to have a powerful military. This caused many civilians to fall into the grasp of poverty as well as develop a fear of speaking. At the time, the people of the Soviet Union did not have the privilege of free speech, and would suffer harsh consequences if they spoke unforgiving things about the government. The appointment of Mikhail Gorbachev changed everything for the Soviets. When Gorbachev became the Soviet leader, he introduced the concepts of glasnost and perestroika. Glasnost means “openness”, and Gorbachev used this policy to allow for the people to have the ability to freedom of speech and press. This allowed the civilians to openly criticize the government and proved to America that the Soviet Union was able to change. With the policy of glasnost, President Reagan was able to realize that the Soviet Union might be able to negotiate peace agreements with nuclear weapons. The policy of perestroika referred to the reconstruction of the political and economic systems. These two policies showed that Gorbachev was open to change for the construction of the Soviet Union, unlike past leaders. President Reagan was prompted by these policies to open up negotiations with the Soviet Union over the end of the Cold War through the elimination of nuclear weapons. Of course, we didn’t get rid of nuclear weapons immediately but this change in feelings towards the Soviet Union revolutionized worldwide relations.
I believe that Mikhail Gorbachev, the leader of the Soviet Union during President Reagan’s second term, was the pivotal figure in the conclusion of the Cold War. Gorbachev brought a fresh wave of optimism, acceptance, and reformation to the United Soviet States of Russia, when he took over office in 1985. Gorbachev was adamant in restoring peace to the two nations, and although Reagan was very skeptical of the young leader at first, he started to warm up to Gorbachev and his peaceful ideals. Many Americans would say President Ronald Reagan was the pivotal figure in the Cold War’s cessation, however up until Gorbachev took power, Reagan was very dubious and even resentful of the Soviet Union. During his first term, Ronald Reagan referred to the Soviet Union as the “Evil Empire” and wanted no association with them. He hated Nixon’s détente (release of tension) and one of his sole goals, in relation to the Soviet Union, was to make the U.S.S.R.’s nuclear arms completely obsolete, with the Strategic Defense Initiative. Throughout Reagan’s presidency however, he became much more open to the idea of peace and release of tension with the Soviet Union, due to Gorbachev’s inauguration as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the United Soviet States of Russia (President of the Soviet Union). Gorbachev helped persuade Nixon to discuss compromises and terms of peace. After multiple conferences and summits, the two leaders signed numerous treaties, including the Zero Option and INF treaty. Although many different people (both Reagan and Gorbachev) and many different factors (treaties, lobbying from citizens, etc.) contributed to the conclusion of the Cold War, in the late 1980’s, I believe Gorbachev played the premiere role. In the end, I would say Soviet leader (1985-1991), Mikhail Gorbachev, is the principle reason for the end of the Cold War, due to his peaceful ideals and persistent demeanor.
In my opinion, there can be no dispute that the reason the Cold War was reason one, the appointment of Gorbachev as the General Secretary of the Soviet Union. His ideas were so radically different than his predecessors and he was also young and vigorous unlike leaders of the Soviet Union since Khrushchev. Gorbachev was the first ever Soviet leader that had not looked on the United States as a serious threat, but more like a potential ally that could be achieved through compromise that he was willing to do. Reagan therefore pushed to renew relations at the Reykjavik summit. Gorbachev’s policies of glasnost and perestroika that brought an end to the overhanging regime of government opened up the country. Although these also lead to the eventual fall of the Soviet Union, they were still beneficial as they allowed the people of the USSR to express their ideas and opinions freely. The climatic and symbolic end to the cold war in my opinion is when Reagan stood in the Kremlin and stated that the Soviet Union was no longer an evil empire. For a man who had once hated détente, increased military spending tenfold (and in the process greatly increasing the national debt) to counter the soviet strength, and made the statement in the first place about the “evil empire”, something drastic had to happen for him to grow strong relations with the Soviets. If we look at the time it all started to shift, the Reykjavik Summit, only one major change had happened in the two countries that could affect relations drastic enough to cause the end of the cold war: the appointment of Mr. Gorbachev. Therefore, the end of the cold war can only be drawn back to it, and the reforms that he made on a nation that desperately needed them.
Gorbachev was the main reason for the Cold War ending. He introduced glasnost and perestroika to the Soviet Union. These ideas were different from the previous Soviet leaders, and allowed Reagan to negotiate with Gorbachev. Reagan hadn’t made any effort to talk with the other leaders previous to Gorbachev. Gorbachev was the main reason Reagan reconsidered the Zero Option. Gorbachev proposed to get rid of all of the nuclear weapons, instead of just in Europe. The Zero Option was turned into the INF Treaty in 1987. This Treaty got rid of all intermediate range nuclear missiles. During the summits where Gorbachev and Reagan met, Reagan refused give up SDI. Gorbachev was willing to do more than Reagan because he would have given up all nuclear weapons. In the end, it results in the INF Treaty. SDI scared the Soviets and kept them on their heels. This was a way Reagan kept detente throughout his presidency. Even though he negotiated with Gorbachev, Reagan never gave the one thing that scared the Soviets. Reagan knew that SDI scared the Soviet Union, but he continued to press for the making of it. The Soviets were always wondering what was coming next, and how to prevent it. Reagan called the Soviet Union an “evil empire” because he didn’t like the Soviets views. Reagan also increased our military spending which causes an arms race. Reagan disliked detente, and only talked to the Soviets when Gorbachev came into power. Gorbachev was younger, and easier to talk to. Reagan agreed with his views more than previous leaders. Reagan’s stubbornness to keep SDI caused Gorbachev to be the main reason why the Cold War ended. Reagan was only interested in talking with the Soviets when a younger and different leader came into power. Reagan eventually retracted the “evil empire’ statement because he was able to come to an agreement with the Soviet Union. Through Gorbachev’s actions with Reagan, the Cold War came to an end.
I believe that the turning point in Reagan’s presidency was Gorbachev being appointed into office leading the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was collapsing slowly but surely, and with Gorbachev’s final attempts at saving the Soviet Union, he came out with new two policies he hoped would reform the Soviet government and fix some problems they were having before. His new policies, glasnost and perestroika, were economic and political reforms that sadly, failed and the Soviet Union thus collapsed. However, before the plans failed and the Soviet Union fell into pieces and Gorbachev lost power, he really did influence and change the ideals of Reagan’s presidency. Prior to Gorbachev entering office, Reagan initiated a raise in military spending, and got rid of an idea he thought to be stupid, détente. Reagan called the Soviet’s “the evil empire”, however, when Gorbachev came into the picture, things started to change. Reagan realized that this leader he could possibly make some major negotiations with, and Gorbachev was a seemingly reasonable and understanding man. Gorbachev himself wished to reform the Soviet’s foreign policies, including building a new relationship with the United States, and in order to do so, he must get Reagan to stop being so hostile towards the Soviets. However, Reagan, fully believing in SDI (in order for us to remain powerful, of course), stuck to it. Gorbachev believed SDI would escalate the arms race, and said he would reduce 50% of his nuclear weapons if Reagan stopped testing SDI, and Reagan refused. Although he refused, I believe he realized through Gorbachev’s offer of reducing nuclear weapons, that he could work with this guy, and maybe he should stop fighting and listen to what he has to say. Gorbachev and Reagan met in each other’s countries a couple of times, and eventually came to the agreement of the INF Treaty, which was absolutely groundbreaking because it was the first time nuclear weapons were actually completely gotten rid of. Without Gorbachev’s new foreign policy ideas, reforming his own country in political, social, and economic ways, Reagan wouldn’t have been pushed so hard to reconsider negotiating deals on reducing or getting rid of nuclear weapons.
I, personally, think that the Gorbachev is the main reason why the Cold War ended. He was the reason that the United States started to have better relations with the Soviets. His views were different from other political figures in Russia which is why Reagan had an acquaintance with him. They weren’t best friends but they weren’t trying to blow each other’s heads off. The good relations with Gorbachev allowed Reagan to initiate the INF Treaty and offer the Zero Option. The INF Treaty limited nuclear bombs in the two countries allowing the citizens of both the United States and Russia to feel more comfortable. Gorbachev was unwilling to go along with the Zero Option but the INF Treaty was something that he could go along with because it didn’t eliminate all of the nukes. Glasnost and perestroika were two policies that were put into place by Gorbachev. Perestroika was a political movement for reformation within the Communist Party during the 1980s. Glasnost was a policy for being more open in the government. Which in turn was a point for ending the Cold War because it made it easier for the United States to have a better relations with the Russian government. Getting rid of communism was the main goal of the United States and perestroika was a turning point in the cold was that made it easy to work with Russia. Both of these policies were introduced by Gorbachev which is why he being appointed in the Russian government was the main reason why the Cold War ended. The better relationship that President Reagan had with Gorbachev made ending the Cold War easier for both countries. Reducing the amount of nuclear weapons made it less likely for a nuclear war because the countries didn’t have as many means to do so. The two policies that Gorbachev initiated were big for ending the cold war because they were a push to stop communism and open the government up to its people.
I think that the main reason for the end of the Cold War was when Gorbachev became the Soviet Union’s General Secretary. Before Gorbachev was appointed as the Soviet leader, there were three leaders that the Americans did not like. They were very communist and did not like our ways. They didn’t want to trade with us or have anything to do with our capitalistic society. We also did not like them because of their ways of doing things and because they were very communist. When these leaders died and Gorbachev became the General Secretary, the Soviet Union changed. The first thing he did was glasnost which means openness. This meant that the people can say things about the government and really do whatever they want. This made their government much more open and made it more like a democratic government. Another thing he did was something called perestroika which means to restructure. This program restructured the Soviets economy and political system. Because of these two things, the Americans thought that the Soviet Union was moving towards a democratic society which they liked a lot. This made the Americans want to make deals and do other things with the Soviets. For example Reagan proposed the deal, “Zero Option” which Gorbachev did not like. Even though he didn’t like it, the two leaders kept meeting and found a solution that they both liked. Reagan’s view changed drastically about the Soviet Union from his first term to his last term. In his first term, Reagan called the Soviet Union the Evil Empire because he didn’t not like the Soviet leader and their policies. But when they died and Gorbachev became the General Secretary, his view changed about the Soviet Union and he took back what he said. Once Gorbachev came into office, everything changed between the Soviets and the Americans and that is why I think that the Cold War ended when Gorbachev became the new General Secretary of the Soviet Union.
Before Reagan’s presidency, the USSR was an arch nemesis of the United States and we both hated each other. We would fight over the littlest things like putting professional sports players into the Olympics and constantly sent spies to each others countries. Although, during Reagan’s first term he did not like the leader at the time, Soviet Union but when Gorbachev came into office, things had started to head into the right direction. Reagan had many meetings with Gorbachev and slowly built their relationship on from their first meeting and made many agreements. This included arms treaties like the zero option treaty that helped release tension between the two super powers. Both leaders wanted to form good relations with each other and even the nations people like each others leaders, both Gorbachev and Reagan were respected among their people. The countries had not had their two leaders meet together in a very long time and also for the first time in a while visited each other in their countries instead of going somewhere neutral for them. As they entered the countries, sure there was tension, but countless people welcomed both leaders and liked them very much. As the tension decreased over time, Reagan had taken back his statement of calling the soviet union the “evil empire” while visiting Moscow which was a symbolic sign that the tension was resolved.
This was a turning point because it shows how quickly things had began to change between the two countries. As soon as they met, there were more and more meetings and also people respected them a lot more. It was also a bold move by both leaders because of the previous tensions and the amount of time that the US and Russia had been sworn enemies fighting over communism and other social issues. Overall, this was the turning point of better relations between Russia and the US due to the sheer impact it had in such a little amount of time.
I would say that Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, was the main reason why the Cold War had ended. There are several reasons to why I say this, from his reforms to his attempts (failed and achieved) in limiting nuclear weapons. Before Gorbachev, the Soviet Union was seen as an “evil empire” and it’s previous leaders weren’t as open as him. Gorbachev wanted change, and didn’t want the same things occurring or same ideas again. Gorbachev knew that if he kept doing the same things previous leaders had done, nothing would change or improve. Previous to Gorbachev, the Countries were a lot more hostile to one another. Glasnost (openness) was made by Gorbachev which had eventually changed this hostile approach. Glasnost was a policy which showed more openness in the governments, improving international relations. Perestroika was another policy, but this one had focused on helping the economy that was not the best before Gorbachev. The policy did help the economy, made it more efficient, and several aware of the economy by increasing its labor and companies. Because of Gorbachev, things like the economy and international relations were improving. Gorbachev also had the goal of stopping the war. He also played a big part in the Zero Option, saying they’d get rid of all nuclear missiles, if Reagan stopped SDI. Though this was denied by Reagan, the INF treaty was created later. The INF treaty, also known as the intermediate-range nuclear forces treaty, was agreed on and signed by Reagan and Gorbachev. This had gotten rid of intermediate-range missiles, and showed the growing relationship between the U.S. and Soviet Union. Reagan had even taken back his “evil empire” statement as Gorbachev had the same goal to end the Cold War. This had improved the relationship between these power nations, and other nations as well.
2.) Before Gorbachev rose into power, the United States and Russia weren’t even up for negotiating. However, Gorbachev was different than those that came before him because he was both seen as a reformer and wasn’t directly affected by world war 2. First off, because of his policies of glasnost which would cause the government to leak more information and become more transparent, and perestroika which would be a complete rebuilding of economic setups in the country, Reagan saw Gorbachev as something new. Gorbachev also would’ve only been a young child for most of the war. Because of this, he wasn’t so hostile and cold towards the United States. All of this explains why Gorbachev was the reason Reagan was up for negotiating. With Reagan onboard now, Gorbachev could invite him to the Reykjavik summit where he would propose the Zero option. The Zero Option was essentially an agreement between the two countries to get rid of all of their nuclear weapons; eventually, this wouldn’t work out because Reagan wasn’t ready to give up SDI. SDI was Reagan’s plan to build a complex system of satellites with lasers capable of blasting nuclear weapons before they would hit our grounds. Although some may argue that his aggressive personality and ability to fight until the United States got what they wanted were good, it’s hard to overlook the downsides of this. If he simply agreed to the Zero Option, there wouldn’t be a need for the SDI system anyways because Russia wouldn’t have nuclear weapons for us to blast down. Regardless, this was all the beginning of negotiations and it led to the official end of the cold war. This came in 1987 with the INF treaty that would eliminate all intermediate range nuclear forces. So, Gorbachev was essentially the reason the Cold War ended because negotiations wouldn’t have even started without him and because Reagan was stubborn towards his unnecessary SDI program.
1. I believe that Gorbachev coming to power was what ultimately led to the end of the cold war. His reforms to the country were what allowed negotiations between the two superpowers to begin again. Reagan was dead set on ‘defeating’ the Soviet Union, rather than coming to agreements with them, which is evidenced by his harsh foreign policy in his first term. He called the USSR the ‘evil empire’, and publicly denounced the strategy of détente, showing that he had no intentions of making peaceful agreements with them. This is mainly because, put simply, Reagan thought that communism in and of it self was evil. Due to his strong oppositions to communism and the Soviet Union, it is unlikely that peace negotiations would have gone very far, if they happened at all, had there been a different Soviet Premier. When Gorbachev came to power, he immediately started introducing reforms to the economy which curbed it away from the radical communism of before. He also pushed for openness, wanting to make the country less closed off and secretive, and easier for non-communist nations to trade and negotiate with. These reforms caused Reagan to change his views about the Soviets being the ‘evil empire’. He believed that while they were once evil, the so-called new Soviet Union was not, and was acceptable to open up communications with again. Although Reagan’s views about the Soviet Union may have changed as his presidency went on, it was really the Soviet Union itself that changed and became better, in Reagan’s eyes at least. This shift in the way the USSR conducted it self was entirely because of Gorbachev and his new reforms and policies. This ultimately led to peace talks between the US and the Soviets, and at the end was the primary cause for the end of the cold war.
Personally, I believe that the event that led to the end of the Cold War was Reagan’s refusal of détente as well as a massive increase in military spending. The United States’ massive increase in military spending was seen as a threat to the Soviet Union, and as a result they responded by boosting their budget on military spending as well. Although this sudden increase on military spending was useful for the military, the Soviets economy slowly began to collapse. Money that was originally used for social programs was now being shifted for other military purposes and unfortunately, the economy suffered. The Soviet Union was based on a communist government and now that they were using money once used for social programs to support their military, they couldn’t keep up. Improvement was necessary and actions would have to be made in order to pull themselves out of the mess they had fallen into. Glasnost and Perestroika were just some of many actions taken place in order to better the economy. Perestroika was a policy that had begun to weaken the communist economy as well as introduce market practices that had no expense. Perestroika eventually led to the abandonment of communism as well as the falling of the Soviet Union. Similar to Perestroika, Glasnost also began from an increased spending on military arms. Glasnost allowed for an ease of restrictions, which would lead to a reduction of cost because the Soviets no longer had to pay the expense of run news. These policies helped inch their way closer the falling of the Soviet Union because it was seen as the start of a new government in a way. Many, including myself may argue that these changes were made because of the Soviet leader; Gorbachev, and he helped put an end the Cold War with his strategies.
Many factors played into the end of the Cold War and the turning point in Reagan’s presidency, but the most impactful factor was the appointment of Mikhail Gorbachev as the new Soviet Premier. Before Gorbachev, the Soviet Union had many different leaders that were much older, and isolated themselves from negotiations with the United States. Gorbachev was much younger and more energetic, and he believed in change for the Soviet Union. Gorbachev implemented his new policies of glasnost and perestroika on the Soviet Union. Gorbachev’s policy of glasnost called for more openness and communication between the people and the government of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev’s policy of perestroika called for the complete restructuring of the Soviet political and economic system. In a way, these two policies changed the Soviet Union into being more similar with the United States, and this caused Reagan to feel less hatred and more compelled to negotiate with the Soviet Union. Reagan met up with Gorbachev at the Reykjavik Summit in 1985 to negotiate their policies. This was the first time the American and Soviet leaders sat down in peace. Gorbachev proposed the Zero Option, which called for the complete destruction of all nuclear missiles in Europe. Reagan turned this down, but continued his negotiations with Gorbachev. Together, Reagan and Gorbachev agreed to the INF Treaty which called for the elimination of intermediate range missiles and allowed inspections from both countries. The Soviet Union and the United States had finally agreed to reverse the intents of the Cold War. It was a major turning point in the relationship between these two major global powers, and the main reason was because of Gorbachev’s policies and newfound relationship with Reagan. Gorbachev also changed Reagan’s view on the Soviet Union that he once thought was a country of malice and evil. This is evident when Reagan retracted his “Evil Empire” statement, because he truly believed that the Soviet Union had turned the corner under Gorbachev, and that it was finally becoming a respectable country. All in all, Gorbachev not only changed Reagan’s view on the Soviet Union, but he changed the world’s view, and even his own people were much happier under the rule of Mikhail Gorbachev.
I believe the main turning point in Reagan’s presidency was his call for the Strategic Defense Initiative, or SDI. This was a defense system that Reagan called for in his first term of being president of the United States. SDI was an anti-nuclear weapon system, which put an imaginary protective dome around the United States. The way it would protect the United States was with satellites in space as well as ground based anti missile turrets. When a nuclear missile was launched towards the United States as a weapon, these satellites would laser the missile, destroying it before it reached the United States’ land. SDI also protected the United States from submarine based launches. This was a very complex and expensive project that Reagan had in mind, and it would take years of experiments and different combinations and meetings to actually make SDI a real thing in space. It did assure safety from nuclear weapons towards the United States, which was Reagan’s main goal of this operation. The idea of the Strategic Defense Initiative, which was nicknamed Star Wars, shocked the Soviet Union at first. They had no idea how to counteract such a powerful system such as SDI. The Soviet Union offered Reagan and the United States a 50% reduction of nuclear missile capability if SDI was discontinued. Reagan never did stop SDI’s testing’s and trying to figure out a way to make it work. Now that Reagan had an edge on the Soviets, he played a game with them by taking the necessary steps leading to the end of the long Cold War. He had the advantage, which gave him more power when he was negotiating with the Soviets. Why was this the turning point then? It was because it leads to less and less nuclear tensions. After SDI happened, the INF Treaty happened which was a cut off of all nuclear weapons between the Soviet Union and the United States. SDI put the Soviet Union into shock, which then went on to Reagan having an edge on the Soviets. SDI changed the look at the Cold War; it was a program that started to push the U.S.S.R off the cliff and started to end nuclear weapons.
I believe the most pivotal moment or the turning point in Reagan’s presidency is the ending of the Cold War with the INF treaty and his relations with Gorbachev. When Reagan first stepped into office his main goal towards the Cold War was to make sure that America didn’t look weak. He got rid of strategies like detente, which was essentially just easing tensions between two countries and in this case between United States and Russia. He believed by practicing detente America would appear weak and soft because we were not actually attacking the problem. He also created SDI (Strategic Defense Initiatives) which was a program that would develop ways to stop nuclear strikes. Specifically, from the Soviets. After Mikhail Gorbachev was elected Reagan saw this as an opportunity to end the Cold War once and for all. He met with Gorbachev in Geneva, Switzerland and in Reykjavik, Iceland to discuss on ways to end the nasty war they both didn’t want to continue. They finally came to an agreement with a treaty called the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Treaty or the INF Treaty. This treaty was signed in Washington D.C. on December 8th 1987. This entailed that both countries would get rid of the biggest threat that faced both of them. They would get rid of the their Nuclear weapons. Both countries sent officials to each country to ensure that “all” of the Nuclear weapons were eradicated. This treaty led to many great moments in history. For example, The Berlin Wall was built in August 1961 to separate Western Germany (which was controlled by the US and other countries) and East Germany (which was controlled by communist USSR. The wall was built to keep the two very different countries and their governments apart. When the wall fell it was a sign that the battle between the United States of America and the Soviet Union was over.
The Cold War was the result of increasing tensions between the US and the Soviet Union, as the two countries were left as the worlds two superpowers after WWII, who both had very conflicting views. As time went by, the Soviet Union slowly decayed due to several factors. Although Gorbachev played a fairly large part in the decay of the Soviet Union due to the failure of Openness, the most essential thing that the Reagan administration did was mentally barrage the Soviet Union with the defiance of Dente, and the increased spending of the US’ defense programs, primarily SDI. This led to greatly increased spending by the Soviets in a rapid shift in focus from civilian matters to defense, as the fear of getting outplayed by their only competitor was unacceptable. Also, the threat of something as devastating as SDI, a device that would make all missiles/nukes of any kind completely obsolete, was horrifying to the Soviet Government. The rapid shift ended up toppling the Communist economy, as the Soviets were spending millions upon millions in an attempt to catch up with the US. This ended up forcing the Soviets to try and make amends with the US in hopes to even things out. At the first meeting at Geneva, the effort seemed useless to most everyone as Reagan and Gorbachev could not agree on Option Zero, which would abolish all missiles, and not just prevent further construction of them. However, Reagan decided against it as Gorbachev was urging him to cease production of SDI, which was not an option for him. This made the Soviets a lot more paranoid, and eventually Reagan and Gorbachev agreed on the INF Treaty, which called for the deconstruction and detonation of all current intermediate range missiles. Later on, as Gorbachev and Reagan talked more and more, relations improved sharply. So, although Gorbachev helped repair relations with the US and Soviets, the increase of American spending was the big thing that really pushed him to do so. Plus, the ruined economy eventually led to the fall of the Soviet Union and Communism, so that’s a big plus.
There are many different perceptions of whom or what ended the long Cold War (the clash of military and political power between Western forces and Eastern forces), such as the creation of the SDI, Reagan’s reconciliation with the Soviet leader, Gorbachev, or even the Zero Option. I personally believe the recently new soviet leader, Gorbachev, ended the Cold War. Before him coming to power in the Soviet Union, the US and the Soviet Union had tensions and were very hostile towards each other. The previous leaders did not believe in the US’ constitution and way of living, not to mention their political leaders. When Gorbachev came to be leader, he was easier to become allies with and was more open to discussions of peace. He started his project, Glasnost that was an openness of the government and the ability for people to say what they want about the government without punishment. He also created Perestroika that also reformed the Soviet government. These policies led to him reaching out to the US when they met in Geneva in 1985 and Reagan changing his views on the Soviets, and even taking back his ‘evil empire’ statement. Even though not much came from this conference, it symbolized the alliance and peace between the two powers that would stay. Later, in Reykjavik, the two created the INF treaty, which stopped the building of Intermediate-range nuclear missiles. The treaty was signed about a year later. The series of meetings gave the two impactful leaders a new respect for each other. Gorbachev also took out many Soviet military soldiers and loosened his hold on Europe, which reduced his power around the world and let the empire become less of a threat. Lastly, under his power the Berlin wall was torn down with his permission. This showed he was open to change and he did. If Gorbachev didn’t come to be the main leader of the Soviet Union, all of these important and pivotal events would not have taken place, therefore the Cold War would probably still be happening to this day.
In my opinion, I believe that it was Ronald Reagan’s hardball attitude was the biggest factor in the end of the cold war. Ronald Reagan created SDI a.k.a the Strategic Defense Initiative. Reagan called upon all the previous scientist that had created nuclear weapons. He wanted them to come up with some sort of weapon in space that could “zap” down any incoming nuclear weapons. The Soviets feared SDI because if Ronald Reagan could pull it off, that would leave them defenseless. At that time, all the Soviets and US had to defend themselves was nuclear weapons, and if SDI was achieved, then it would leave the Soviets defenseless. The Soviets also saw Reagans SDI plan as another arms race and did not want to waste money. So Mikhail Gorbachev leader of the Soviet Union at that time decided to try to negotiate a deal with Ronald Reagan to get rid of SDI. Being the hard head he was, Ronald Reagan refused to Mikhail Gorbachev’s zero option treaty. The zero option treaty was for both the US and the Soviets to get rid of their nuclear weapons in Europe. Because Ronald Reagan refused, Gorbachev was desperate for a treaty. Years past and Ronald Reagan was still trying to achieve his SDI plan. The Soviets started to change especially because of their new leader, Gorbachev. More open minded and accepting. Still looking for a way to end Reagans SDI plan and neutralize nuclear weapons, the INF treaty was created a.k.a the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces. This plan called for a mass reduction of nuclear weapons in both the Soviet and US military. The treaty also allowed for both the Soviets and US to have unannounced arms checks of the others party. Ronald Reagan finally agreed to this treaty. Because Reagan had previously denied all the other treaties and deals that Gorbachev had laid out, he was able to get the INF treaty which created a stronger relationship with the Soviets.
The Reykjavik Summit in 1986 was most pivotal to ending the cold war because it lead to INF. Reagan did not like the previous Soviet leaders, but Gorbachev, with glasnost and perestroika, ushered in a new era for the Soviet Union. After Gorbachev came to power, the Soviet union became more open and in touch with the rest of the world. This lead the the first time that Reagan and Gorbachev spoke about peace during the Reykjavik Summit. The two men got along at the summit and were able to civilly discuss terms for peace between the two countries. The Zero Option was the idea that both the soviets and the US couldn’t have any nuclear weapons in Europe; it was brought up by Gorbachev during the summit. Reagan didn’t agree to this due to its terms about SDI; it required the US to stop funding SDI, which Reagan wasn’t willing to do, since he was very determined to continue with SDI. It is also possible that Reagan turned it down to intimidate, scare, or stay one step ahead of the Soviets. After this meeting, although there wasn’t a deal quite yet, the Zero Option introduced during this meeting eventually turned into INF. INF committed the two countries to destroy many nukes and allowed the opposing country to an inspection. It was eventually agreed on the next year which began the end to the Cold War. If the Reykjavik Summit hadn’t happened, Gorbachev might not have been able to spark the end with the Zero Option and the tension between the Soviet Union and the US could have escalated and ended in a nuclear war. Because the Reykjavik Summit was the introduction to what formally ended the cold war and it eased tension it played the most important role in ending the Cold War.
Although one may say the Cold War ended because of SDI alone, or the CIA’s aid to mujahedeen in Afghanistan, I truly believe it was the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that really turned everything around. He was put into office, and everything came after that. Before Gorbachev, the Soviet Union had many leaders of the same outlook and values. They didn’t want much to do with the United States. They wanted to keep their nukes. However, Gorbachev stepped into office in 1985 and took many actions against nuclear weapons. It all started (before Gorbachev) when Ronal Reagan developed SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative), his program to destroy Soviet missiles from space with the use of lasers and satellites. This reflected his aggressive look on the Soviets. Another example of this aggression is when Reagan called the Soviet Union the “Evil Empire”, using hardcore rhetoric. Then, when Gorbachev came in, introducing new, never-before-seen policies like Glasnost (openness) and Perestroika (restructure), it was a new era. Glasnost pertained to a more open, informational government system; perestroika intended to reform the economic and political system in the Soviet Union. Reagan was skeptical at first of the new USSR leader, however, once seeing his authentic and genuine policies, opened up more. He stepped away from his military tactics and proposed the Zero Option to Gorbachev, meaning the US would not deploy their nukes if the SU didn’t either. Gorbachev wanted more, so rejected it, and proposed a complete end of all nuclear weapons. Reagan wasn’t ready to give up on SDI just yet, so the US rejected it. However, this meant they were negotiating more than they ever have. This eventually led to Reagan visiting Reykjavik and having talks about a complete ban on nuclear weapons, and that’s what happened with the INF (Intermediate Nuclear Forces) Treaty. Both sides took out their weapons and came to a no-arms agreement. Soon after, Reagan retracted his “Evil Empire” statement. I believe this was all because of Gorbachev; cooperation like this would not have happened unless some other Soviet leader came along many years later and proposed some ideas similar to those of Gorbachev. The relations between the US and the SU had never been better than they were in that moment. That led to the Cold War soon coming to a close in 1991, and harmony between the two superpowers.
I believe that the war in Afghanistan is what ultimately led to the fall of the Soviet Union, they were already not doing too well up to that point and they felt that they had to come in and help establish a communist government, the soviets sent in troops to attack and ended up failing in the end. The U.S helping the mujahedeen by supplying them with weapons is what hurt the soviets. Up until that point the soviets were one of the world powers, the were so powerful and strong and seemed to be as powerful or even more powerful than the U.S, so when they went into Afghanistan hoping to help preserve Amin’s power and keep him in charge it seemed like an easy victory for the soviets, but the U.S supporting the mujahedeen with weapons not only for combat but also to take down helicopters and such is what really hurt the Soviets. The soviets had poured so much money and resources into the war and they were losing which hurt them, this combined with the people being opposed to the war led to their inevitable decline. This war against Afghanistan proved that communism just couldn’t work, if Afghanistan, a country that would benefit from communism would reject it then how could it continue to work in the U.S.S.R when times were changing and communism wouldn’t be able to keep up. The war ended up costing a lot of money, weakening their military, and their economy as well as being faced with the embarrassment of a loss in war to a country like Afghanistan was too much for them to overcome. This followed by the next ruler Gorbachev and his willingness to move forward, in negotiations with the U.S, and glasnost is the main reason to point to when talking about the fall of the Soviet Union.
Views of the Soviet Union from Americans were once very harsh ones, because of the belief that was pushed forward by President Reagan himself by publicly declaring that the Soviet Union was an “Evil Empire”. The Cold War tensions during Reagan’s first term of presidency were mainly caused by the harsh exchangement of words that helped intensify negative attitudes towards each other’s country and the advancement of the Cold War. However, these tensions were significantly brought to an abrupt halt as Mikhail Gorbachev was brought to power in the Soviet Union. Along with the change in power Gorbachev brought forth two extremely important reforms that changed his country and his country’s relationship with the US forever. Those reforms were glasnost, openness, and perestroika, the fixing of the economic and political structure. Because of these reforms evoked by Gorbachev in his country and that the fact that Soviet leader was single handedly the reason why Reagan gave talks about the ending of all nuclear weapons (Zero Option) any consideration is why Gorbachev was the most pivotal character in ending the Cold War. When Gorbachev came into office, the relations between the United States and the Soviet Union dramatically changed from hostile and not being able to begin talks of any sort of resolution to end the war, changed to the leaders in power of both countries being able to communicate and having a positive, and working relationship. This was all because of the change of attitude that the new Soviet leader brought to the table. Reagan was able to began talks with Gorbachev because the SU leader was open to change not only in his own country, but also in making a positive change in the world. These talks of positive change between these powerful leaders all begun at the Reykjavik summit in Iceland. At that summit it was Gorbachev who began talks about the the Zero Option because he was fearful of the repercussions that SDI would prompt to countries all over the world and he believed it would most definitely escalate the war. While the Zero Option was not implemented because Reagan was not interested in giving up on SDI, this initiated the beginning conversations about drafting the INF treaty. The INF treaty eliminated all intermediate nuclear weapons between the US and the Soviet Union and was pushed forward first by Gorbachev. The treaty was later signed by both Reagan and Gorbachev at the Washington summit in 1987. This treaty initiated by Gorbachev brought the end to the war and is why, in my opinion, Gorbachev was most pivotal in ending the Cold War.
The rise of Mikhail Gorbachev was the turning point that lead to the end of the cold war. The Soviet premiers before Gorbachev were unwilling to negotiate many deals with the US, and imposed harsh communist law on the Soviet citizens. Gorbachev, a young and energetic leader, contrasted from the previous leaders because of his attitude toward the future of the Soviet Union. He created 2 reform policies, glasnost and perestroika, that shifted the Soviet Union from a communist nation to a more democratic government. Glasnost was a policy of openness that allowed freedoms of speech and other actions with no punishments. Perestroika was an economic and political reform that created more democratic ideals. Gorbachev was also facing a pointless and hopeless war in Afghanistan. Gorbachev’s decision to take the Soviet forces out of Afghanistan displayed his openness to change in the Soviet Union. He realized the economic struggles of the citizens in the Soviet Union, and tried to help them by creating reforms. Gorbachev also eased restrictions on eastern Europe nations that were part of the union. This lead to the creation of many separate eastern European nations. Gorbachev’s relation with Reagan also created an end to the Cold War. During Reagan’s first term he didn’t want to end the Cold War with peace treaties, but instead Reagan immensely increased spending for military armaments, and started a new arms race with Soviet. Reagan became more cooperative in his second term because Gorbachev was in power. At first, Gorbachev couldn’t get Reagan to agree with his plan of removing missiles because Gorbachev wanted Reagan to stop SDI, but Reagan refused. Gorbachev, now desperate to eliminate nukes, travelled to DC, and signed the INF treaty, a plan that disposed of many nukes with inspectors, with Reagan. After the treaty, Reagan travelled to the Kremlin and changed his “evil empire” statement. He did this because he felt the Soviet Union wasn’t a threat due to his relations and plans with Gorbachev.
During Reagan’s first term it seemed as though the Soviet Union was stuck in a rut. There was no reform, and each premier that was elected was practically the same old, conservative leader that created fear throughout the world, a fear of the USSR and its power. Reagan understood that communism was flawed and from an economic stand point that it was inferior to communism. Reagan also believed that military strength was an important part of a prosperous government, and also that military strength particularly compared to Soviets was somewhere that we were lacking. He applied both of these sentiments into one plan that he believed would take down the “Evil Empire” Soviet Union that he faced during his first term. In this plan he increased military funding to create a stronger militant force and also to start a new arms race with the Soviets that he knew that he could win. The Soviets of course tried to keep up in this race of weapons, and they because of their failed system lost in this race. The effects of the this military spending, and the new arms race ended with the Soviet Union’s economy being sent into a spiral and because of the failure of the same type of premier constantly being elected. the people decided to elect a newer, younger Gorbachev as a result. Gorbachev’s election changed the Soviet Union for the better, his reforms made quality of life better, and increased the personal liberties of every Soviet citizen. Gorbachev essentially destroyed all of the fearful sentiments from people inside the country, and outside. Gorbachev’s actions caused Reagan to take back his statement that called the USSR the “Evil Empire”. Gorbachev opened the door for peace, however, while it was not his initial intention, Reagan was the one that created the circumstances that allowed a man like Gorbachev to be elected.
Mikhail Gorbachev hosted a major change in the cold war because he completely changed Soviet life, and therefore, American life. By introducing his idea of openness in Russian society, he makes the Soviet Union a bit more Western-friendly. He even moves away from communism, weakening the Communist Party, which was hated in America. He also put effort into reforming the economy, which made the Soviet Union a better place for the inhabitants. The move towards a gentler society may have encouraged Reagan to change his thinking about the big spending, large, aggressive military. All of these things made it easier for Ronald Reagan to work with Gorbachev. Because of that, they met several times and were actually in a position to get somewhere. A good relationship between the two men resulted in a good relationship between the two nations. As the Soviet Union softened up on its strict communism, Reagan followed their lead also came to propose a reduction, and then elimination of all nuclear weapons, changing the fact that the United States seemed to love their nuclear weapons, a view that came from the massive military expenditure and the enormous numbers of nuclear weapons that they had. The INF Treaty eliminated a significant number of nuclear weapons, which brought an end to the arms race between the United States and Soviet Union, in the best way possible. The arms race is vital to defining the Cold War because although there was no direct usage of the nuclear weapons from either side, the two nations competing brought high tensions, as the amount of nuclear power they had could have been fatal to the entire human race.
Some might say that Reagan is responsible for the change in the relationship between the two nations, but I would disagree. Although Ronald Reagan was the first conservative president after a long line of more liberal ones, he is not unlike the other presidents, who all failed to mend the broken relationship between two countries. Mikhail Gorbachev was the Soviet leader in a long time to support openness and step away from the Communist Party, and for that reason, I believe that he was the key to ending the Cold War.
I feel the the ending of the cold war was Reagan’s refusal of detente and increasing military spending which caused the soviets to match us or risk losing the edge they had with nuclear weapons. The soviets were forced to keep up with the united states spending, making them push all their federal funds including taking away from social programs to increase their military spending. It was hard for the soviet union to keep up spending to match the us and provide for their people. Because of this there were different treaties and deals made between the US and the soviet union. The INF treaty was introduced, they used this treaty to slow down the arms race that was happening between the two countries so the soviets did not have to spend all their money keeping up with the US. I feel this was the main reason for the ending of the cold was because it forced the soviet union to compromise to the US or risk complete destroying the communist government they had. The soviet were forced to keep up with the Us in the military spending and arms race so they had to introduce new policies and treaties to slow down the arms race because they had no money to fund their social programs. I feel that Reagan’s hard stance on detente made it so the soviet union was pressured into compromising to the US because they knew that Reagan was relentless toward the soviet union and was not planning on making any compromises, especially because of his hate for Detente. Reagan Did not agree with Detente, so the soviet union knew that he did not want an easing of tensions, so they made the move to ease the tensions by conforming to some of the US policies and creating Policies to slow down the arms race, thanks to Reagan the soviets were pushed to compromise to the Us leading to the end of the cold war.
The turning point was the introduction of SDI. This is because, SDI was a completely new concept that no one had ever even contemplated; Reagan took the Soviet Union and the entire world by surprise. While most believed it was a feat much to challenging to be completed, there was also that deep down feeling of scariness. For that reason, the Soviet Union was essentially forced to evaluate their current strategies. They all knew that there was no chance that Reagan would not be able to pull it off, but there is always that small worry that nags you all the time. To me, it’s crazy that a radical idea as small as a ridiculous nuclear defense system can cause such pandemonium throughout a whole country. For the first time, the Soviet Union was faced with a problem they didn’t know how to solve, or if there was even a solution. It was a scary place to be in for a nation that had never faced such a “threat” quite this big. Even scarier, Reagan went on national TV and proposed to all the scientists of the US that they become a part in the making of this system, that they rack their brains for any way this could work. The Soviet Union believed there was a real chance that SDI was coming into existence. A system that detrimental, with a sole purpose to go against your country is terrifying. SDI awoke the Soviets and showed what America was capable of. Even though it would never end up becoming more than an idea, the United States had proved that they were a global, capable of bringing the largest nation to chaos. The people of the Soviet Union’s eyes were opened. They were now completely aware that maybe WWII had ended, but there was another huge problem speeding at them.
Throughout the Cold War, finding a common understanding between two rival countries was something that didn’t often happen. With the election of Ronald Reagan and the weakening of detente, tension seemed impossible to lesson. During his campaign and first term of presidency, Reagan did much in his power to challenge the Soviet Union and his reluctance to work with the Soviets seemed as if it would be a permanent end to peace. Fortunately for the world, peace occurred but not due to Reagan: Mikhail Gorbachev ushered in an era of real detente and Soviet reform. Gorbachev was a key player in the Cold War who worked for an agreement with the United States and freedom for his people. Through his policies of glastnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring; reforms which economical helped Russia), communism was swept from power and Soviets were liberated. Gorbachev also worked to bring media and free elections into Eastern European countries that the Kremlin had formerly oppressed; the abolition of a rival and oppressive government made the US more willing to cooperate. Gorbachev’s governing caused Reagan and Margaret Thatcher (prime minister of England) to want to negotiate with him. He helped to organize the two summits that would be turning points in the Cold War. Eager to bring peace, Gorbachev originally agreed to an option to remove all missiles in Europe immediately, as he wanted to prevent a war that was fought in outer space. The nations did not decide on the removal of all missiles, instead signing the INF treaty, a pivotal agreement. However the situation is looked at, Gorbachev is revealed to be a truly powerful and influential leader who had a positive impact on the United States, the Soviet Union, and the world.
With regards to the ending if the Cold War, I believe that Mikhail Gorbachev is the figure that turned an ongoing battle, into what was no longer. Gorbachev created the glasnost and perestroika plan which reformed the look of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev as a leader that came in at a very hard time, especially since he was the third leader of the Soviets to come in during President Ronald Reagan’s term. Nothing was expected of the new leader, expect to continue on with the communist views. But all changed when he implied glasnost and perestroika as stated above. This changed the views worldwide, because countries no longer turned on one another due to communism. That was one of the reasons for the beginning of the Cold war, because large countries would fight over third world countries so they would become communist countries. Mr.Mikhail’s approach caught the eye of many and changed the image of the Soviets. The Soviet Union was always viewed as a nation that does not budge. Despite the resilience Soviet Republics displayed by leaving the country ,Gorbachev continued with his plan. Nevertheless, after seeing this, it proved that all things can change. He also presented the idea of the Zero option ( lead to the INF treaty). Even with Reagan’s hesitance to agree to the treaty, it was eventually passed. The treaty helped to relieve nuclear weapons worldwide, making it harder for countries to fight during the cold war. Also to point out another flaw that Reagan demonstrated that benefited the image of Gorbachev was, standing strong in a newly formed alliance with a country that did not show confidence with them. Reagan clearly stated during his first term that he believed the Soviets were an “evil empire”. They stood their ground and proved why they were not a destructive nation. This calmed more tensions, to which I believe lead to the ending of the Cold war. Through Gorbachev’s remodeling of the Soviet nation and forming alliances with his former war enemies, he ended the Cold War in my opinion.
There are many different events or actions during Reagan’s presidency that are argued as the turning points of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. In my personal opinion I believe the turning point of the Cold War was the rise to power of Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachev was the eighth and final leader of the Soviet Union following three quickly dying soviet leaders. The three leaders that preceded Gorbachev were textbook examples of Soviet leaders, old U.S. hating communists. Mikhail Gorbachev was different. He was a young easy to work with non-hostile leader which allowed Ronald Reagan to work easily with him. Gorbachev also introduced two new ideas into his country which weren’t considered prior to him being in office. The first idea he introduced was glasnost. Glasnost was the idea of the government become more transparent and open toward the people of the country. The second idea was perestroika which was originally introduced by Brezhnev and promoted by Gorbachev. This idea was to reconstruct the government in such a way that the labor and industry areas were increased greatly. These new policies were a great step toward friendly interactions between the countries. Prior to these ideas Reagan felt that the Soviet Union was stern and unable to negotiate with. This revealed that the Soviets were coming more in line with the U.S. and could possibly be worked with. Another way that Gorbachev helped turn the Cold War our way is by agreeing to the initially proposed Zero Option which he then negotiated to the INF Treaty. The Zero Option was in idea for the United States and the Soviet Union to withdraw their nuclear bombs from Europe and Reagan had to stop his SDI research. Reagan was stubborn to keep his SDI research solidly backed so he declined this offer. Later Gorbachev and Reagan negotiated this plan to the elimination of all medium range nuclear weapons and Reagan was able to keep his SDI project. Overall Mikhail Gorbachev was such a unique leader of the Soviet Union that he made substantial leaps for the end of the Cold War. By signing treaties and introducing policies into his home country he calmed tensions and helped Reagan’s and the American people’s view of the Soviet Union.
I believe that the most pivotal person that ended the Cold War was the newly appointed Soviet leader, Gorbachev. In 1985 Gorbachev was appointed General Secretary, and started to reform the Soviet Union. He had two plans, one of which was called glasnost, which was a plan to make the Soviet Government more transparent and even simpler, to have “openness”. The other plan Gorbachev had when he came into office was Perestroika. Gorbachev had seen the fight between the United States and the Soviet Union had weakened the Soviets economy, and he saw the citizens were struggling in their relative poor way of life. To fix the problems he was seeing, he wanted to restructure the Communist Party, by mainly replacing the existing government planning with more market forces (economic factors).
Gorbachev used both Glasnost and Perestroika to reform the nation and by doing those plans and changing the Soviet Union, President Reagan of the United States noticed. President Reagan had previously not liked the Soviet Union, even calling them an ‘evil Empire’, but with Gorbachev bringing new ideas and optimism he soon came to not hate the Communist republic. In 1981 of Reagan’s first term as President, he lifted a grain embargo held on the Soviet Union in good faith, and the Soviets then put martial laws in Poland, only making Reagan regret his decision and have more reason to not like the Soviet. In 1983 Reagan proposed the SDI, or ‘Star Wars’ that would protect America from any air nuclear attacks. This was a major threat to the Soviet Union, and it only strengthened the arms race between the two nations. But during the second term of Reagan’s Presidency there was a new leader in the Soviet Union, Gorbachev. He changed the ideology of the Soviet Union and was a major part of ending the Cold War from his Glasnost Plan and Perestroika. By 1988 he even was on his way to making their government a form of elected government. He had different beliefs than the past Soviet leader, and was definitely the most pivotal figure in ending the Cold War. If Gorbachev was not appointed, the Soviet Union could still be in place, there could be increased tensions in the arms race between the United States and them, or even a World War three could have erupted from the tension and feud.
1: I think that the most pivotal person to ending the Cold War was General Secretary Gorbachev. Before Gorbachev was in office in 1985, Reagan had a tough time negotiating with the previous Soviet leaders. Some of this did lie on Reagan, as he was stubborn and didn’t like détente at all in his first term in office. This was shown with Reagan referring to the Soviet Union as an “evil empire” and also with him implementing a program called SDI that increased tension between the two nations. Even though Reagan contributed to the high tensions between the soviets and the United States, the previous Soviet leaders certainty didn’t help the situation. Gorbachev was very different from these leaders in many ways and the United States saw him as good to work with. For example, he was way more willing to negotiate with Reagan, and this could be seen at the many summits that the two leaders attended to try to negotiate with one another. Gorbachev was exactly the type of person that was needed to end the Cold War. His reforms of Glasnost, that opened up and brought pop culture to the country, and Perestroika, that put the Soviet Union’s economy more towards capitalism was really what prompted Reagan to renew negotiations with the Soviets. With Gorbachev in the picture, Reagan was able to ease up on his anti-détente stance and enter negotiations with the Soviet Union over reducing/eliminating nuclear weapons. The start of this was at the Geneva Summit in 1985, when the Soviet Union and United States decided that they were going to do business and talk about some issues such as curbing the arms race and getting rid of nuclear forces. This led to even more negotiations between the two nations where they would make major progress. Examples of this progress are START (Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty), which, for the first time in the Cold War, reduced the amount of nuclear weapons in each country’s arsenals and the signing of the INF treaty that banned all intermediate-range nuclear missiles from Europe. All of these negotiations would’ve never happened had it not been for Gorbachev. It was his policies of Glasnost and Perestroika, different from the previous Soviet leaders, that prompted Reagan to renew negotiations over reducing/eliminating nuclear weapons. These negotiations would go on to be pivotal to ending the Cold War, and they all stemmed from General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev.
I think that Gorbachev was the most pivotal to ending the Cold War. He brought a new approach to the Soviet Union government when he was appointed. Unlike previous Soviet Union leaders, Gorbachev was interested in cooperating with the United States and ending tensions between the two countries. He wanted to end the cold war so he could pour more money into Perestroika, his plan to reform his country’s economy. I think that Perestroika also affected the Soviet’s Union’s relationship with the United States because it bettered Reagan’s opinion of the Soviet Union. Reagan approved of the reforms Gorbachev was making to his country, such as Glasnost, which eased the strict social controls imposed by the government. Reagan was very against communism and Gorbachev’s policies were leaning away from communism, so they appealed more to Reagan than the previous Soviet Union leaders did. Before Gorbachev was in power, Reagan called the Soviet Union an “Evil Empire”, but he retracted the statement after Gorbachev was in Power. Gorbachev changed America’s views of the Soviet Union and America would not have agreed to end the cold war if it weren’t for America’s new impression of the Soviet Union.
Gorbachev made a much bigger effort to cooperate with the U.S. than Reagan did. It was Gorbachev who introduced the Zero Option which led to the signing of the INF treaty. If he hadn’t reached out to the United States, the Cold War could’ve lasted much longer or ended more violently. Reagan was not as cooperative. Instead, he pursued his SDI plan, which involved shooting Soviet Union missiles out of the sky from space. He also thought that détente was weakness. But, through a series of meetings between Reagan and Gorbachev, Reagan gained respect for Gorbachev and they ended up producing the INF treaty.
There were many important points in Reagan’s presidency that could’ve turned it around. The one that felt like Reagan really hit a turning point was Gorbachev coming into power as General Secretary. Gorbachev was the main reason for the end of the Cold War. The way he claimed his power proved that the world would forever see the Soviets in a new light. Gorbachev did a lot for the Soviet Union, his reforms (glasnost and perestroika), but the biggest thing he brought to the table in the Soviet Union was the way he changed the America’s feelings about the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union had looked at the United States as a bad guy for a very long time, this started the cold war because it was believed every Soviet Union leader wanted America to crash and burn. In Reagan’s first term, he referred to the Soviet Union as the “evil empire” and had no interest in doing any negotiating with their union. Along with staying as far away from Nixon’s détente plan as possible, Reagan also created SDI, a defense against the Soviet Union that was a shield for nuclear weapons. Gorbachev felt troubled by this image that other leaders had paved the way for. Gorbachev started by giving more freedom and rights to the people of the Soviet Union, this was the beginning of Gorbachev’s concepts of glasnost and perestroika (openness). The changes going on with the Soviet Union caught Reagan’s eye, especially the way Gorbachev began to break away from traditional communism. Reagan began to socialize with Gorbachev and they began to build a mutual trust between each other. Reagan soon realized Gorbachev was not like the other Soviet leaders and he wanted to use that to both countries advantage. The two signed the arms agreement which destroyed a portion of nuclear weapons owned by the two. Along with getting Reagan to make an agreement with a country he was convinced was the enemy, Gorbachev influenced Reagan to retract his statement referring to the Soviet Union as the “evil empire.” In conclusion, Gorbachev’s actions as leader put an end to the Cold War and made a real turning point in Reagan’s presidency.
I think that the first regard mentioned is what ended the cold war. It says that Gorbachev was the main reason why the Cold War ended. It was his reforms (glasnost and perestroika) that appealed to his people and led America to like him more as well. His reforms glasnost and perestroika were both words he used to appeal to his people. Glasnost meant openness and perestroika meant restructuring. These both went together hand in hand to create change in how they acted upon international affairs, economic practices, and internal affairs as well. This allowed his people to be more open and introduced pop culture. Another thing that really stood out about Gorbachev was his age. He was younger than most past leaders and I think that greatly contributed to his open-mindedness. I say this because he was born in 1931 and took office in 1990. That means he was 59 years old when he took on the role of being the Soviet Union’s leader. But the time frame when he was born is crucial. Gorbachev was born in 1931 and WW11 stated in 1939, so he was still a young boy by the time the war ended and stopped. He probably can’t remember what happened and doesn’t hold the hatred of America that some of the Soviet Union’s past leaders had. This allowed Gorbachev to be open minded and allowed him to make decisions by himself and without any bias against America. His open mindedness and reforms led Ronald Reagan to talk to Gorbachev and think of an agreement that would reduce/eliminate nuclear weapons. Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union the “evil empire” after they shot down the Korean plane, but after a few years during his second term at the capital, he took back what he said. Ronald Reagan saw the change that the Soviets had started to enact and I think that was really what led him to start talking to Gorbachev and come up with the INF Treaty. Ronald Reagan saw that Gorbachev was different than his past rulers and was willing to give him a shot even though he dislikes détente and called the Soviet union the “evil empire”. And I think Gorbachev was the person that made the INF Treaty happen and the INF Treaty was the legal document that pretty much showed the end of the Cold War.
In my opinion I think the Cold War’s turning point was Gorbachev coming into power in the Soviet Union. He was truly a fresh face not only for the people of the Soviet Union but also for the world, he would go out into the streets and actually have conversations with the ones who trusted him to rule their nation. Once Gorbachev was leading the Soviet nation things not only in terms of the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union, but also a change in the people and their happiness as well. Gorbachev was a different type of leader then the people of the Soviet Union were used too, he was young and vibrant , once he was in charge goods were not only better quality but there was also easier access. The atmosphere of the Soviet Union changed significantly, pop culture was introduced along with television shows. Gorbachev cause a positive change in a very sensitive situation, there were summits held where progress between the two powers were occurring. In the first summit in Europe Reagan and Gorbachev also agreed to a nuclear control plan, this was huge considering the history of the two nations. An INF treaty was signed within time which called for the destruction of all intermediate nuclear missiles. Along with the fact the Reagan recanted his statement about the Soviet Union being an evil empire once Gorbachev was in power. The reason for this was because not only the people in the Soviet Union were being treated better, but also because Gorbachev was more willing to negotiate with the United States than previous leaders of the Soviet Union, you could say he had a different mind set, and was not born in the World War 2 time period so he wasn’t affected by that.
Though President Reagan had the driving force and the potential I believe Gorbachev was the most pivotal in ending the cold war. Many actions during this time also did have a big role as well. For example in Reagan’s first term he was against detente and also calling the Soviets the “Evil Empire”. This is one of few examples that showed how badly Reagan disliked the Soviets. This all changed quickly after Gorbachev took office, Reagan took back his statement and began to negotiate with the Soviets. Since the Soviets had a new leader that Reagan enjoyed he opened up to many new things, including forming a relationship with Gorbachev. Something that came out of this new relationship was he lesser use of nuclear weapons during the time of this “arms race”. This is shown when both the Soviets and the U.S. agreed to destroy more than 2,000 nuclear weapons together (otherwise known as the INF Treaty), and also allowing the opposing country to have a spectator watch the destruction of these weapons. This was a big step in the right direction. One thing that also caused the end to the cold war was the SDI or Star Wars. It was first implemented in hopes of destroying any nuclear weapons launched in space before it reached U.S. soil. This absolutely freaked out the Soviets causing more tension. Also included in the INF Treaty was the “Zero Option” in which the U.S. came very close to agreeing to. The zero option was meant to eliminate all nuclear weapons from each side but the Soviets insisted that the U.S. must stop using SDI. The congress was quick to decline in but Reagan would have agreed to it. This is another reason why Gorbachev ended the cold war was because he attempted to end the cold war at first by proposing the zero option idea. Soon after both the Soviets and the U.S. signed a peace treaty finally ending the cold war.