Exploring Ronald Reagan's Role in the Fall of the Soviet Empire: A Three-Day Journey Through Moscow

Warren A. Lewis: I love history, but I find most history books are boring. Not this one. Bret Baier brings the years of Ronald Reagan back to memory, almost back to life. Reagan was my first Presidential vote, and I followed his political career as it unfolded, and I thought at the time he had a much easier time than I have read here. This has to be one of the finest biographies about the President ever written, and the best report of his battle against the Iron Curtain resulting in his friendship with Mikhail Gorbachev.

United States on Sep 22, 2023

Amazon Customer: Written in a easy to read manner. You don't need Masters degree in anything to read it. So many of these types of books you need a dictionary or a professor sitting nearby to explain the long or legal words. Brett does a fine job writing his books.

United States on May 15, 2023

Joseph Myren: AWESOME

Canada on Apr 02, 2023

S. Annes: I found that I was learning so much about what I only thought I knew that I could not put the book down. The back stories and behind the scenes narratives were fascinating.

United States on Feb 03, 2023

Vince Coviello: This is an excellent, well-paced book covering Ronald Reagan’s leading role in ending the Cold War. The central narrative of the story is built around the speech Reagan gave to students at Moscow State University on 31 May 1988 at the end of his fourth summit with Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. Building on the speech, Brett Baier and Catherine Whitney have provided a highly readable and outstanding biography of Ronald Reagan and his role that brought an end to the Cold War. The book provided a comprehensive look at the foundational elements of Ronald Reagan’s deep held convictions on democracy and freedom for all people. It also provided insights into Reagan’s thoughts on the relationship with the Soviet Union and provided an “inside baseball” perspective on the formulation of America’s late period Cold War diplomacy. Another exceptional part of this book was how it portrayed the growing and enduring friendship Reagan and Gorbachev formed highlighting the importance of open honest communications even in the face of completely opposite perspectives. Reading this book broadened my knowledge of the Reagan era diplomacy and how it led to the end of the Cold...

United States on Jul 29, 2022

C. Freeman: This is a formulaic history following on Baier's Three Days in January. Book begins with Reagan preparing to give his speech at Moscow University, part of the final summit with Gorbachev in 1988, a result of Glasnost and the opening of Russia. In this regard it is a novel and interesting look at these events.
Then, we have a rapid high level biography of Reagan, focusing first on childhood and personal, then the divorce and difficult relations with his children, and then the development of Reagan's doctrine regarding the Cold War. This includes his testifying as president of the Screen Actors Guild, his work for GE, the Rendezvous with History speech in '64, and run for Governor, and quick recap of the nomination fights with Gerry Ford. We finish with his presidency focused primarily on the four summits, and Reagan's use of SDI (Star Wars) to overload the Soviet economy, accelerating their collapse.
Baier's thesis is that Reagan's consistent view of the Soviet Union, and how to challenge them, is what allowed him to succeed, including walking away from the summit in Reykjavík. My problem with the book is its too light, and I would recommend Reagan's War by Peter...

United States on Jan 11, 2019

Ian Taylor: Excellent book, I found it hard to put down. I recall watching these events as they played out, this book shows what went on behind the scenes, I certainly learned a lot and it explains just what happened the day the Berlin wall fell by accident. Bear examines Reagan’s thinking about the nuclear weapons problem and the disintegration of the Soviet Union without firing a shot. A good read, not complicated, well written.

Canada on Oct 01, 2018

Amazon Customer: Extremely well researched; masterfully and concisely written!

Canada on Jun 14, 2018