The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan: A History of the End of the Cold War

In The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan, NY Times bestselling author James Mann directs his keen analysis to Ronald Reagan's role in ending the Cold War.
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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.


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Mann has reset the terms for the debate between Reagan's liberal detractors and his conservative admirers. In this surprising history of how Reagan helped unravel the Soviet Empire, Mann adduces convincing evidence that the fortieth president deserves far more credit for ending the Cold War than his liberal critics have given him.

The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan: A History of the End of the Cold War by James Mann

However, that same evidence drawn from probing interviews and newly available archives smashes the standard conservative account of Reagan's triumph. As it turns out, the great conservative icon of the s toppled Soviet communism by ignoring bellicose rhetoric of the sort he himself had used to galvanize opposition to the Evil Empire. Defying his ideological advisors including Nixon, Kissinger, and Buckley Reagan reshaped the world by boldly reaching out to Mikhail Gorbachev in face-to-face negotiations on arms control.

Mann persuasively shows that even when Reagan overruled moderates such as Baker and Powell who objected to his speech demanding that Gorbachev tear down the Berlin Wall, he was engaging his Kremlin counterpart in a dance of rapprochement. A sharp challenge to theories that discount the decisive role of personalities in global affairs, Mann's insightful portrait of Reagan reveals an adept statesman who concealed a calculating shrewdness behind a deceptively folksy demeanor.

Ronald Reagan did not "win" the Cold War, nor was he just historically lucky, as two contrasting viewpoints would sometimes have it. Instead, writes former journalist Mann author-in-residence, Johns Hopkins Sch.

A History of the End of the Cold War

Mann's book has four sections: Mann bases his argument upon impressive original research, including interviews with principals who range from George Shultz, to Colin Powel, to Helmut Kohl, to Nancy Reagan. Highly recommended for all libraries. Concentrating on Reagan's second term, Mann details the battles Reagan waged against critics like former president Richard Nixon and members of his own cabinet to forge an alliance with Gorbachev that resulted in the end of the Cold War.

Both depictions are problematic, as they accentuate different aspects of a complex, often inscrutable man. The journalist has written critically of conservative foreign policies in the past, but he finds much to admire in Reagan.

No, the president did not single-handedly end the Cold War, nor was he the primary factor influencing its peaceful resolution. According to Mann, he was, however, optimistic and adaptable, relying on a set of Cold War values that emphasized the human character that existed under the communist system he so vehemently despised. These values ran counter to entrenched ideologies on both right and left, but they allowed him to see the promise of working with honestly reform-minded Mikhail Gorbachev. The president believed that the United States was a country of right, where democracy and capitalism best served the needs of the people.

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In contrast, Reagan viewed communism as a devious ideology imposed on an unwilling nation by disingenuous leaders. However, Mann argues that this separation of the people from the system also allowed for a certain flexibility. Reagan saw a real possibility for systemic reform if only a Soviet leader would abandon dictatorial control of the people.

Reagan delivered one of his best quips just before Gorbachev arrived in Washington, as a reporter asked him if he was worried about the younger Gorbachev upstaging him. Good Lord, I co-starred with Errol Flynn once. The leader of the free world was worried about the right time to give Gorbachev cuff links! Does this show that Reagan was getting senile by focusing on trivial and unimportant details?

Or does it show that Reagan knew that the personal connection between him and Gorbachev was just as important as the weighty issues they would be discussing? The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan is a good examination of a pivotal time in modern history, and an intriguing portrait of one of the most fascinating presidents in modern history, a man who was both outgoing and aloof at the same time. Really excellent and nuanced look at the Reagan years in terms of his approach to the Soviet Union. Basically a history of how Reagan went from calling the USSR an "evil empire" in to throwing his arm around Gorbachev's shoulder in the middle of Red Square in Sep 01, Peter rated it really liked it Shelves: This book is set in the second term of the Reagan presidency.

The author presents an interesting window into the end of the Cold War. The usual arguments are that Reagan brought it on, vs. Here the author fine tunes the thesis that Reagan brought about the end of the Soviet Union and the Cold War by staging his own rebellion. The author's premise, and it is well supported and well developed, is that Reagan did so by acting on his own in This book is set in the second term of the Reagan presidency.

The author's premise, and it is well supported and well developed, is that Reagan did so by acting on his own intuition about Gorbachev and his desire to bring about change. Reagan did this by breaking with two different establishments. One was the imbedded national security establishment Nixon, Kissinger, Bush I, etc , which saw Gorbachev as another Communist party instrument, wanting to implement Party ideology around the world, but with a warmer face. The second break was with his anti-communist conservative political base National Review, Dan Quail, others in Congress to pursue what Reagan saw as an unique opportunity to help end tension and begin the process of reducing the threat of nuclear weapons.

Here is Reagan using the force of ideas and rhetoric to shape the political discussion and move the world to be better place. What was interesting in this book was the prominent role of both Nixon and Kissinger, and how Reagan and his team utilized them, but particularly Nixon, to help develop a foreign policy. Reagan and Nixon were both anti-communist Californians, and the author chronicles their separate rises and weariness of each other, especially as Nixon and Kissinger embraced Detente, which Reagan rejected.

Again, here is Reagan holding to ideals and principles vs. While, initially Reagan used Nixon to help sound out the Soviets and set a course, he later rejects Nixon's insight as he begins to see something in Gorbachev that Nixon refuses to see, a new Soviet politician. Basically, he has to reduce the costs of running the Soviet empire. He is eager for change. Reagan senses this desire in him and begins to craft a strategy to help. Presented here is quite the cast of characters involved in this process. Presented is the in-fighting between departments and political groups within the White House, and in the State Department.

One interesting character is a Russian scholar, with no academic institutional backing, Suzanne Massie, who helps Reagan understand what is going on in the USSR, at the personal level, what the policy wonks can not see, due to their institutional lens. Massie is helpful, often acting as an unofficial go-between with Soviet officials. However, over time she is frozen out by White House insiders, unsure of her personal motive and if she is being used by the KGB to provide mis-information.

This is the interesting bits of history, the small personal interactions, upon which major decisions often rest. Here is an engaging narrative that make history come to life. Here is also an interesting, and conflicting picture of Reagan. James Mann, the author, does note that Reagan didn't really care about the finer points of policy. During his last year in office he was beginning to withdraw.

Reagan relied on over-simplifications, humor at times repetitive , and personal connections to gain an insight or develop a position on an issue. He was willing to let top personnel deal with the small stuff. But Mann notes that on the larger strategic picture Reagan was often engaged, knowledgeable and pro-active in developing policy. A prime example is his famed Berlin speech, where he proclaimed, "Mr.

Gorbachev, tear down this war. Reagan refused to let this line die, knowing its impact to support him at home and to remind Gorbachev of ideals that can not be sacrificed. To read about how East German Communist official were nervously reacting to all of this negotiations between the US and USSR, worrying about being abandoned by Gorbachev, provides further insight into this interesting time. Overall, a very interesting book. The author does occasionally back track over the same information, but this is due to the division of the book into four parts. It can be a little off putting.

However, his style of crisp, he uses a wide variety of source materials to develop his thesis, and he keeps the narrative moving right along. Here is a fresher interpretation of this period, and new insight into the power of Reagan as a leader who was willing to take chances when opportunities presented themselves.


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    • He was clearly not the "amiable dunce" put out by many in the academic establishment. This is a thesis that needs to be included in more standard histories of the time period, which too often puts Gorbachev of sole responsible for the great change that was coming. Aug 22, Ray rated it really liked it. Great story about a great man but not well written.

    Aug 10, Scriptor Ignotus rated it it was ok Shelves: A decent recitation of events, but disappointing in its substantive analysis or lack thereof. Mann tells us at the beginning of the book that his goal is to present an interpretation of Reagan's role in ending the Cold War that avoids the two partisan mythologies of Reagan's presidency that either overemphasize or dismiss his importance.

    He succeeds insofar as he portrays Reagan as being somewhere in between these two extremes, but rarely in his narrative does he offer any original analysis of A decent recitation of events, but disappointing in its substantive analysis or lack thereof. He succeeds insofar as he portrays Reagan as being somewhere in between these two extremes, but rarely in his narrative does he offer any original analysis of Reagan's foreign policy or that of Gorbachev, or Gorbachev's attempts at reforming the Soviet system and its possible influence on the eventual breakup of the party and the union, or the political climate of Germany and Eastern Europe - all of which should have been prominently featured in an analysis of the importance of Reagan's role as one player among many.

    Additionally, Mann makes many digressions that I felt were frivolous. Suzanne Massie's role as an unofficial emissary to the Soviet Union is interesting, but never seemed important enough to warrant dedicating an entire section of the book to her life and her relationship with Reagan, as Mann does here. We are told that she became close friends with Reagan and, through storytelling, was able to "humanize" the Soviet people in the president's eyes. That may be true, but Mann justifies telling us about Massie by claiming that her rapport with Reagan was a reflection of gradual changes in the president's attitude, but apart from a few anecdotes about how Reagan mentioned the Russian "soul" in various settings, the exact nature of this change in attitude, and any influence this may have had on Reagan's diplomacy with the Soviet Union and subsequently on the end of the Cold War is never really explored.

    Mann makes another long and unnecessary digression when he devotes another entire section of the book to the buildup to and delivery of Reagan's famous speech at the Brandenburg Gate. He spends far too much time detailing Reagan's history as an orator, the history of the very implication of American policymakers that the wall should come down, previous presidential visits to Berlin like that of John Kennedy, and the disputes among Reagan's staff regarding whether the famous "tear down this wall" clause should have remained in the speech.

    This entire section seems contrary to Mann's goal of getting away from triviality in approaching Reagan's presidency. Mann claims that he wants to find a middle road between the "triumphal" and "theater" schools of interpretation regarding the speech, but merely by devoting so much of the book to one moment of political theater, Mann elevates just the sort of triviality he is trying to avoid.

    No one seriously believes that the Cold War ended because Reagan uttered the words, "tear down this wall. In treating the speech like a critical moment in the end of the Cold War - almost as fateful as the actual act of Berliners in dismantling the wall, Mann seems to miss the point. The book has redeeming qualities as a factual, narrative account of the final years of the Cold War. But ultimately, in terms of substance and originality, it is a disappointment.

    Oct 28, Richard Lim rated it really liked it. As a result of Reagan's dovish policies in his second term, Mann argues, Gorbachev had the necessary space to pursue domestic reforms. Mann highlights the vociferous opposition Reagan faced from his own party and conservative thinkers during his meetings with Gorbachev and his desire to reduce and even eliminate nu In The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan, James Mann goes to pains to argue that Ronald Reagan was essentially a liberal during the end of the Cold War and that, it is a good thing he was.

    Mann highlights the vociferous opposition Reagan faced from his own party and conservative thinkers during his meetings with Gorbachev and his desire to reduce and even eliminate nuclear weapons.

    The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan: A History of the End of the Cold War, by James Mann (2010)

    We find many of these figures moving along different streams of political thought, sometimes because of political expedience and sometimes for larger goals. At times Reagan was the hawk, proclaiming that Gorbachev tear down the Berlin Wall, at the dismay of disarmament officials at the State Department. Other times Reagan was the dove, proclaiming the Soviet Union as a changed system, no longer the Evil Empire he had originally denounced. The realists led by Nixon and Kissinger also undergo transformations, from supporting detente in the 70s to opposing the diplomatic efforts of Reagan.

    Mann convincingly explains these disagreements among American anti-communists as a result of the core philosophical differences between the realists of the Nixon era and the Reaganites. Also fascinating is Mann's analysis of the complex relationship between East and West German leadership and the implications of their actions upon the U. The result is a well-written account of the complexities of the Cold War - complexities which have been airbrushed in history that seeks to portray Reagan as a right wing simpleton.

    What results is a rather elusive Ronald Reagan - a man who Mann portrays as every bit as disengaged as liberals believe he was, yet deft and calculating and ultimately right in his instincts when it came to Cold War policy. Mann rightly argues that Reagan played a critical role in the end of the Cold War and that the proper question isn't necessarily whether Reagan won the war all on his own but what effect did he have.

    Mann's book is supported by an extensive number of interviews he conducted with many of the major figures of the era. My only criticisms center upon his over-insistence on the mistakes of Reagan's conservative opponents. My suspicions is that many of Reagan's critics may not have had the same information that Reagan had in order to assess the Soviet Union as accurately as Reagan did.

    Also, Mann's book would have been more complete had he included an analysis of the effect of Reagan's first term policies SDI, the military build-up , etc. While it is a fair argument as to whether these policies held end the Cold War, it would still be interesting to include this discussion for a broader view of Reagan's role. Apr 14, Otto Lehto rated it liked it. A decent account of the latter days of Reagan's presidency, from the perspective of the executive branch and the president's inner circle.

    The book focuses especially on the events that led to the rapprochement with Soviet Union, the diplomacy with Gorbachev and the end of the Cold War. The most insightful parts are the "hidden" struggle with the so-called establishment "realists" of the Republican cold-warrior right-wing, including Nixon, Schultz and Kissinger.

    The book gives a surprisingly pea A decent account of the latter days of Reagan's presidency, from the perspective of the executive branch and the president's inner circle. The book gives a surprisingly peace-loving portrayal of Reagan as a result - at least in comparison to some of the more bombing-prone, nuclear-winter-risk-willing establishment hawks of the right!

    The book itself contains some major shortcomings, however. The research is partisan, selective and sloppy. Some key events and phrases are repeated more than is necessary, to cover up the shortage of research material, as if the whole book centers on a few events, characters and phrases e. Berlin, Gorbachev, "tear down this wall" , whereas the true richness of the events would have merited a bit more adventurousness and original research.

    But I guess the book is intended more as a journalistic retelling of already-familiar events rather than a brave new foray into revisionist history, although, luckily, the book is not entirely without its novel, sharp insights. I would recommend it as light reading or in audiobook form, as with myself, as light listening that can shed light - even new, some of it - on one important, world historical period in global politics, from the perspective of one of the people whom the Left loves to gut-hate and the Right to posthumously canonize. But the picture of Reagan from this book is much more complex and varied: As Mann points out: Reagan did not "win" the Cold War, but he certainly played a role in the liberation of Eastern Europe, and even his detractors ought to give him some slack for THAT.

    Oct 18, Christopher rated it it was amazing Shelves: One of my definitions for a great history book is for its ability to cut through the mythology to get at the truth of the event or person being profiled. In this remarkably compact history of Pres. Reagan's role in bringing about the end of the Cold War, Mr. Mann does just that. Two schools of thought on Pres. Reagan's role in this conclude either his role was insignificant or that he was THE decisive factor.

    Mann's research shows that Pres. Reagan's part in this was neither, but rather he o One of my definitions for a great history book is for its ability to cut through the mythology to get at the truth of the event or person being profiled. Reagan's part in this was neither, but rather he overcame the criticism of his right-wing base and within the foreign policy establishment in order to deal directly with Soviet leader Gorbachev, which gave Mr. Gorbachev time and space to implement his reforms that ultimately ended the Cold War with a whimper and not a bang.