statement showcasing the progress their nations had made
in peacekeeping for the world. Over the span of the Reagan
presidency, Soviet relations improved and milestones in
peacekeeping were achieved.20
Starting in 1986, Reagan delivered a New Year’s address to the
Russian people, and Gorbachev did the same for Americans.
These addresses, broadcast via radio and television, served
as tangible proof of their unwavering determination to make
the world a safer place. In retirement, both men credited
the other as a partner in preserving global peace in a time
when war seemed inevitable. Not surprisingly, in 1989
when the Soviet Union was slowly being dismantled, news
President Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev meet in the
boathouse during the Geneva Summit in Switzerland, November 19,
1985. (Photo courtesy of http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/
photographs/large/c44261-22.jpg)
as the Cold War’s winners.
the Brandenburg Gate, he was one of only a few people who
outlets declared the United States the winners of the Cold
T
War. However, both Reagan and Gorbachev recognized that
because freedom had triumphed, the whole world emerged
In Retrospect: How the Cold War Was Won
oday the fall of the Berlin Wall serves as the metaphor
for the collapse of the Soviet Union and end of the
Cold War. In some circles, Reagan’s call to the general
secretary to “tear down this wall” has been glorified into
mythology, as though the Berlin Wall was summarily destroyed
just after he uttered those words. This is a disservice to the
president’s legacy and a frightening simplification of the Cold
War’s complexity.
20
Dixon and Gaarder, “Presidential Succession and the Cold War,”156-175.
When President Reagan delivered his historic remarks at
envisioned a reunified East and West Germany. His faith in the
value of democracy, the human desire for freedom, and his
optimistic view that good would eventually triumph enabled
him to predict that communism would end up in the “ash heap
of history.”21
After the Soviet Union’s collapse, the narrative of the
Reagan presidency was further shaped by the contentious
atmosphere of the 1992 election.22 Victory, conservatives
would argue, was centered on the coalition that elected
President Reagan and believed in the supremacy of the
West. Conservatives would lionize the image of Reagan’s
strong resolve that wrestled the Soviet Union to its knees.
Liberals would instead emphasize the economic stagnation
and political decay caused by 70 years of Communism.
Reappraisal is a natural process for modern presidents, as
evidence comes to light of the effects of their term in office.
President Reagan’s diaries, letters and speeches reflect a
man who was an avid reader and a gifted writer. Declassified
intelligence documents reveal knowledge about the Soviet
Union that dictated policies encouraging the arms race. The
fall of the Berlin Wall and end of the Cold War showed that
American leadership helped maintain peace.
President Reagan with Chancellor Kohl and Eberhard Diepgen, arriving
to give a speech at the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, Federal Republic
of Germany, June 12, 1987. (Photo courtesy of http://www.reagan.
utexas.edu/archives/photographs/large/C41251-13A.jpg. C41251-13A)
24
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY 2015
21
22
Reagan, “Address to Members of the British Parliament.”
Petersen, Eric F. “The End of the Cold War: A Review of Recent Literature.” The History
Teacher 26, no. 4 (August 1993): 471-485.