~ The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan
THE REBELLION OF RONALD REAGAN: A History of the End of the Cold War
Published: March 9, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-670-02054-6
“James Mann, whose speciality is the murky world of Republican policymaking, and whose 2004 book on George Bush’s war cabinet, “Rise of the Vulcans”, was a deserved hit, has produced a winner again.”
— The Economist, Feb. 26, 2009
In The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan, New York Times bestselling author James Mann directs his keen analysis to Ronald Reagan’s role in ending the Cold War.
Drawing on new interviews and previously unavailable documents, Mann offers a fresh and compelling narrative—a new history assessing what Reagan did, and did not do, to help bring America’s four-decade conflict with the Soviet Union to a close.
As he did so masterfully in Rise of the Vulcans, Mann sheds new light on the hidden aspects of American foreign policy.
He reveals previously undisclosed secret messages between Reagan and Moscow; internal White House intrigues; and battles with leading figures such as Nixon and Kissinger, who repeatedly questioned Reagan’s unfolding diplomacy with Mikhail Gorbachev.
He details the background and fierce debate over Reagan’s famous Berlin Wall speech and shows how it fit into Reagan’s policies. Ultimately, Mann dispels the facile stereotypes of Reagan in favor of a levelheaded, cogent understanding of a determined president and his strategy.
This book finally answers the troubling questions about Reagan’s actual role in the crumbling of Soviet power; and concludes that by recognizing the significance of Gorbachev, Reagan helped bring the Cold War to a close.
Reviews:
“Mann is a dogged seeker after evidence and a judicious sifter of it. His verdict is convincing.”
— New York Times“In fashioning a compelling and historically significant story, Mann has cast new light both on Reagan and on the strange ending of a decades-long conflict between two great imperial powers…”
— The Washington Post“Much of Mann’s story—based on interviews and recently declassified archives—is eye-poppingly hilarious.”
— Slate“Mann, one of the leading students of contemporary U.S. foreign policy, whose Rise of the Vulcans is the best study yet of the Bush-Cheney foreign policy team, has written an extraordinary account of Ronald Reagan’s approach to the Soviet Union that sheds considerable light on the end of the Cold War.”
— Foreign Affairs
