What were the roles of Reagan and Gorbachev in the course and development of the Cold War' (15 marks)
Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev are the leaders of the opposing nations of the USSR and USA during the Cold War. Both the leaders were significant in not only the development of the Cold War but also played the key roles in the demise of both the Cold War and in Gorbachev’s case, the Soviet Union. According to right-wing parties such as the ‘Reagan Victory School’, Reagan caused the end of the Cold War by pushing the Soviet economy to the breaking point by increasing pressure both economically and ideologically. However multiple Historians such as Raymond L Garthoff, believe that it was Gorbachev, with his new foreign policies such as Glasnost and Perestroika that finally ended the tensions between the two warring countries.
During the start of both their leaderships, Gorbachev and Reagan had very different policies. During Gorbachev’s first speech he advocated the idea of ‘Glasnost’, a policy that called for increased openness and transparency in government institutions and activities in the Soviet Union. Richard Sakwa states that he initiated a campaign to ‘foster freedom of information, honest discussion and political participation of wider groups of citizens. Along with the other policy of Perestroika that called for changes to the command-economy by allowing private business and to introduce market forces, Gorbachev started to democratize the USSR allowing for the tensions between the USSR and USA to reduce. Other internal policies of Gorbachev increased human rights in the Soviet Union, which allowed the acceptance of the US such as the establishment of freedom of religious observation and the ending of the persecution of the churches. Gorbachev created the development of civil society through his new outlook of ‘New Thinking’, which created a more democratic society. Gorbachev’s actions were largely determined by events within the USSR and therefore had a larger impact as they led to the collapse of the USSR, and therefore could argue ended the Cold War. Raymnd Garthoff praises Gorbachev in edning the cold war saying his willingness to work with the West and create the reforms to democratize USSR was the key factor that lead to cooperation of the superpowers.
Gorbachev’s military reforms were key in the collapse of the USSR and therefore the Cold War. Gorbachev understood that the Soviet Union could no longer use its military force to increase its influence in the outside world and started the policy of cooperation rather than confrontation. He signed the CFE Treaty and Paris Charter which ended the economic and military division of Europe. He also didn’t use force against the protests in satellite states and allowed the peaceful collapse of the satellite empire. This decreased America’s worries over Soviet expansion and Soviet influence over Eastern Europe. His promise in the UN meeting to not interfere with other countries militarily caused the collapse of the Berlin Wall, and the freedom of the satellite states caused independence movements through out the USSR that prompted the collapse of the USSR. However the triumphalists view on Gorbachev’s reforms that they were intended to strengthen the USSR in hope of continuing communism and maintaining their power and therefore not to end the Cold War. While this may be true, it would be unreasonable to not understand that Gorbachev was doing what he thought was best for his country, his intention was not to preserve his ideology, since he was making the USSR more democratized, but to preserve his own country.
However, it was Gorbachev’s foreign policies, which influenced the course and development of the Cold War the most. Gorbachev knew that the USSR could not compete with the USA in the arms race anymore. Also, with the failing economy of the USSR, he knew that he had to end the arms race to reform the USSR. This created a series of summit events from 1985-88. The summit meetings were in large part successful due to the personal chemistry between Gorbachev and Reagan and the desire to reach a deal. Also, Gorbachev improved relations between the two countries by announcing the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1988.
On the other hand, Reagan started out with a very hardline position against the Soviet Union and by increasing spending on weapons, his military spending in the early 1980s forced the Soviet to compete with the USAs, knowing that due to the economic weakness of the USSR, the Soviet Union would not be able to keep up. Paul Johnson states that Reagan’s armament program had a ‘demoralizing effect of the Soviet elite’. Paul Johnson’s statement was completely correct as it was the main cause that forced Gorbachev to seek both internal economic reform and negotiation.
Reagan exposed the weakness of Détente, which allowed the negotiations and the movement forward by both countries. The historian Peter Schweitzer argued that the change from Detente to a more aggressive policy by Reagan was the determining factor in ending the Cold War. His hardline approach to the Soviet influence in Afghanistan could be argued that it caused the Soviets to retreat which decreased the Soviet influence, therefore communist influence, in the Middle East. Also Reagan’s policy of SDI undermined the concept of MAD and left the USSR vulnerable. This forced the USSR onto the negotiating table. Reagan focused on decreasing Soviet influence and power. Leaving the USSR vulnerable and stopping the détente which favoured the USSR allowed the US to take the upper hand and allow for the negotiations that caused the end of the Cold War and the USSR. Triumphalists like to state that the role of Ronald Reagan and his foreign policies directed towards the USSR brought an end to the Cold War. This statement may be a little far stretched, while Ronald Reagan definitely was one of the causes, without the reforms and attitude of Gorbachev, Reagan’s policies could have created direct military conflict between the two countries.
However some of their policies were very similar. Both were very anti-nuclear, as they both understood the consequences of nuclear war. This allowed for the negotiations over nuclear arms to go ahead, they even considered getting rid of all the nuclear weapons. Both men had an extremely good chemistry with each other and were able to come to game-changing decisions such as the SALT I and II Treaties. Both the leaders willingness to engage with one another were very important in changing the course of the Cold War. D Deudney and GJ Ikenberry state that Reagan’s pressure gave the ‘Soviets no choice but to abandon expansionism abroad and repression at home’. Right wing views like J.L Gaddis, William Clarke credit the hard-line approach of Reagan caused the Soviets to end the arms race and the cold war, and this statement does hold truth. The Star Wars initiative made by Reagan caused the USSR to come to the understanding that they couldn’t compete with the USA anymore and a change had to be made. They were also both very forward-thinkers and were prepared to reverse their previous positions in order to make compromises.
Both leaders were very influential and key in the development of the dissolving of the Cold War. It is impossible to say that either leader would have been able to make the same changes without the others since both their characters came to play a part in the foreign policies made. However, due to changes internally and externally, Gorbachev made the most impact in the course of the Cold War. While Reagan definitely caused the establishment of new reforms by the USSR, without the open-mindedness and the want to change shown by Gorbachev, Reagan provocative tactics could have caused a full war, which would have been disastrous for both countries.
Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev are the leaders of the opposing nations of the USSR and USA during the Cold War. Both the leaders were significant in not only the development of the Cold War but also played the key roles in the demise of both the Cold War and in Gorbachev’s case, the Soviet Union. According to right-wing parties such as the ‘Reagan Victory School’, Reagan caused the end of the Cold War by pushing the Soviet economy to the breaking point by increasing pressure both economically and ideologically. However multiple Historians such as Raymond L Garthoff, believe that it was Gorbachev, with his new foreign policies such as Glasnost and Perestroika that finally ended the tensions between the two warring countries.
During the start of both their leaderships, Gorbachev and Reagan had very different policies. During Gorbachev’s first speech he advocated the idea of ‘Glasnost’, a policy that called for increased openness and transparency in government institutions and activities in the Soviet Union. Richard Sakwa states that he initiated a campaign to ‘foster freedom of information, honest discussion and political participation of wider groups of citizens. Along with the other policy of Perestroika that called for changes to the command-economy by allowing private business and to introduce market forces, Gorbachev started to democratize the USSR allowing for the tensions between the USSR and USA to reduce. Other internal policies of Gorbachev increased human rights in the Soviet Union, which allowed the acceptance of the US such as the establishment of freedom of religious observation and the ending of the persecution of the churches. Gorbachev created the development of civil society through his new outlook of ‘New Thinking’, which created a more democratic society. Gorbachev’s actions were largely determined by events within the USSR and therefore had a larger impact as they led to the collapse of the USSR, and therefore could argue ended the Cold War. Raymnd Garthoff praises Gorbachev in edning the cold war saying his willingness to work with the West and create the reforms to democratize USSR was the key factor that lead to cooperation of the superpowers.
Gorbachev’s military reforms were key in the collapse of the USSR and therefore the Cold War. Gorbachev understood that the Soviet Union could no longer use its military force to increase its influence in the outside world and started the policy of cooperation rather than confrontation. He signed the CFE Treaty and Paris Charter which ended the economic and military division of Europe. He also didn’t use force against the protests in satellite states and allowed the peaceful collapse of the satellite empire. This decreased America’s worries over Soviet expansion and Soviet influence over Eastern Europe. His promise in the UN meeting to not interfere with other countries militarily caused the collapse of the Berlin Wall, and the freedom of the satellite states caused independence movements through out the USSR that prompted the collapse of the USSR. However the triumphalists view on Gorbachev’s reforms that they were intended to strengthen the USSR in hope of continuing communism and maintaining their power and therefore not to end the Cold War. While this may be true, it would be unreasonable to not understand that Gorbachev was doing what he thought was best for his country, his intention was not to preserve his ideology, since he was making the USSR more democratized, but to preserve his own country.
However, it was Gorbachev’s foreign policies, which influenced the course and development of the Cold War the most. Gorbachev knew that the USSR could not compete with the USA in the arms race anymore. Also, with the failing economy of the USSR, he knew that he had to end the arms race to reform the USSR. This created a series of summit events from 1985-88. The summit meetings were in large part successful due to the personal chemistry between Gorbachev and Reagan and the desire to reach a deal. Also, Gorbachev improved relations between the two countries by announcing the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1988.
On the other hand, Reagan started out with a very hardline position against the Soviet Union and by increasing spending on weapons, his military spending in the early 1980s forced the Soviet to compete with the USAs, knowing that due to the economic weakness of the USSR, the Soviet Union would not be able to keep up. Paul Johnson states that Reagan’s armament program had a ‘demoralizing effect of the Soviet elite’. Paul Johnson’s statement was completely correct as it was the main cause that forced Gorbachev to seek both internal economic reform and negotiation.
Reagan exposed the weakness of Détente, which allowed the negotiations and the movement forward by both countries. The historian Peter Schweitzer argued that the change from Detente to a more aggressive policy by Reagan was the determining factor in ending the Cold War. His hardline approach to the Soviet influence in Afghanistan could be argued that it caused the Soviets to retreat which decreased the Soviet influence, therefore communist influence, in the Middle East. Also Reagan’s policy of SDI undermined the concept of MAD and left the USSR vulnerable. This forced the USSR onto the negotiating table. Reagan focused on decreasing Soviet influence and power. Leaving the USSR vulnerable and stopping the détente which favoured the USSR allowed the US to take the upper hand and allow for the negotiations that caused the end of the Cold War and the USSR. Triumphalists like to state that the role of Ronald Reagan and his foreign policies directed towards the USSR brought an end to the Cold War. This statement may be a little far stretched, while Ronald Reagan definitely was one of the causes, without the reforms and attitude of Gorbachev, Reagan’s policies could have created direct military conflict between the two countries.
However some of their policies were very similar. Both were very anti-nuclear, as they both understood the consequences of nuclear war. This allowed for the negotiations over nuclear arms to go ahead, they even considered getting rid of all the nuclear weapons. Both men had an extremely good chemistry with each other and were able to come to game-changing decisions such as the SALT I and II Treaties. Both the leaders willingness to engage with one another were very important in changing the course of the Cold War. D Deudney and GJ Ikenberry state that Reagan’s pressure gave the ‘Soviets no choice but to abandon expansionism abroad and repression at home’. Right wing views like J.L Gaddis, William Clarke credit the hard-line approach of Reagan caused the Soviets to end the arms race and the cold war, and this statement does hold truth. The Star Wars initiative made by Reagan caused the USSR to come to the understanding that they couldn’t compete with the USA anymore and a change had to be made. They were also both very forward-thinkers and were prepared to reverse their previous positions in order to make compromises.
Both leaders were very influential and key in the development of the dissolving of the Cold War. It is impossible to say that either leader would have been able to make the same changes without the others since both their characters came to play a part in the foreign policies made. However, due to changes internally and externally, Gorbachev made the most impact in the course of the Cold War. While Reagan definitely caused the establishment of new reforms by the USSR, without the open-mindedness and the want to change shown by Gorbachev, Reagan provocative tactics could have caused a full war, which would have been disastrous for both countries.