Did Reagan Make Gorbachev Possible?

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In this Subject: Political Science
By this author: WILSON, JAMES GRAHAM

Author: WILSON, JAMES GRAHAM

Source: Presidential Studies Quarterly, Volume 38, Number 3, September 2008 , pp. 456-475(20)

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Abstract:

This article examines how Soviet leaders responded to Ronald Reagan during his first presidential administration. It contests the notion that Reagan's tough rhetoric and arms buildup from 1981 to 1984 made Gorbachev possible. It draws on fresh evidence to argue that Reagan's words and deeds had precisely the opposite effect—they emboldened hard-liners within the Kremlin and ultimately postponed “new thinking.”

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-5705.2008.02655.x

Publication date: 2008-09-01