The Crusader Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism (Audible Audio Edition) Paul Kengor John Pruden HarperAudio Books
Download As PDF : The Crusader Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism (Audible Audio Edition) Paul Kengor John Pruden HarperAudio Books
Based on extraordinary research, here is a major reassessment of Ronald Reagan's lifelong crusade to dismantle the Soviet Empire, including shocking revelations about the liberal American politician who tried to collude with the USSR to counter Reagan's efforts.
God and Ronald Reagan made presidential historian Paul Kengor's name as one of the premier chroniclers of the life and career of the 40th president. With The Crusader, Kengor returns with the one book about Reagan that has not been written the story of his lifelong crusade against communism and of his dogged and ultimately triumphant effort to overthrow the Soviet Union.
Drawing upon reams of newly declassified presidential papers as well as untapped Soviet media archives and new interviews with key players, Kengor traces Reagan's efforts to target the Soviet Union from his days as governor of California to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of what he famously dubbed the "Evil Empire". The result is a major revision and enhancement of what historians are only beginning to realize that Reagan not only wished for the collapse of communism but had a deep and specific understanding of what it would take and effected dozens of policy shifts that brought the USSR to its heels within a decade of his presidency.
The Crusader makes use of key sources from behind the Iron Curtain, including one key memo that implicates a major American liberal politician in a scheme to enlist Soviet premier Yuri Andropov to help defeat Reagan's 1984 reelection bid. Such new finds make The Crusader not just a work of extraordinary history but a work of explosive revelation that will be debated as hotly in 2006 as Reagan's policies were in the 1980s.
The Crusader Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism (Audible Audio Edition) Paul Kengor John Pruden HarperAudio Books
This book should be read in tandem with "Reagan's War" by Peter Schweizer - in fact, if they had teamed up to write one book, it would be a stellar, stellar book. Schweizer's book focuses a lot on Reagan's time as SAG President in Hollywood, more so than this one, and Kengor focuses a lot on secret NSDDs and Poland. In fact, Poland is the primary thread that runs through this book, showing up again and again and tying all of Reagan's anti-Communist policies together. The under-the-table aid and the above-the-table rhetoric provided by Reagan and his team is the primary reason that the jewel in the Evil Empire's crown fell away, precipitating the downfall of the USSR as a whole. That and SDI. Kengor's book is, like Schweizer's, a corrective to the liberal trope that Gorby surrendered the USSR and Reagan had little, but mostly nothing, to do with the end of the Cold War. "An amiable dunce," as one detractor famously called him. Kengor writes fairly well, though he is a bit long-winded in places and is not averse to beating a dead horse now and again, introducing a subject, telling us about its impact, then giving a detailed history of the subject, with five examples where three would suffice, then reiterating its impact. Thus the text drags a bit in places. Still an excellent book. The debate between Reagan and Robert Kennedy was an eye-opener, I have only seen snippets of it, and I can't recall reading about it. Ted Kennedy's near treason in the early 1980s left me aghast - not a surprise, but shocking nonetheless. Little details here and there crop up to delight the Reaganaut, and make you long for the days when the CIA had a hand in undermining governments and bringing down our enemies (Cuba, Venezuela, Iran - be glad Reagan is gone).Product details
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The Crusader Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism (Audible Audio Edition) Paul Kengor John Pruden HarperAudio Books Reviews
Best Reagan bio ever written. Thoroughly researched.
The two best Presidents during the 20th century were FDR and Reagan. If you want to know why the former is on the list, read Doris Kearns Goodwin. If you want to know why the latter name is there, read this book.
The conventional wisdom that Reagan was aloof and unable to keep track of what was happening during his presidency is absolutely decimated by the author's research. The original biographies of Reagan written by Cannon and Morris were written from a liberal perspective, and with very little information available. The passage of time means documents become unclassified, and those documents show a President with a laser-like focus on burying communism and spreading freedom. Reagan's aides all admit that he was the driving force behind our foreign policy all along.
The other aspect of the book that I most enjoyed was the frequent references to Soviet media and elite opinion, which was apoplectic during the early '80s as they figured out that Reagan was not about to play nice with them. Anyone who credits only Gorbachev for bringing democracy to the communist bloc will not think that way after reading this book. He deserves some credit, but as the author states it was never Gorbachev's goal to end communism. That goal was Reagan's alone, so how can he not get the overwhelming majority of the credit? Reagan forced Gorbachev's hand, pure and simple.
The greatest accomplishment by a President since WW2 was taking over a country with a serious inferiority complex and terrible economy in 1981, and transforming it into the strongest nation in the world and the outright victor in the Cold War in eight short years. I urge everyone to read this book if for no other reason than to understand that great leadership in Washington is possible, and big dreams do come true if you're willing to fight for them.
Excellent product
Great Read. Very informative.
This is one of the best books I've read in years. It explains in detail how Reagan and his staff worked to undermine the Soviet Union.
My favorite Reagan biography. No other author tells the story of his crusade against Communism as Kengor does. By showing Reagan's idealism and his well informed anticommunism, Kengor shows how the Cold War was won. Magnificent!
Excellent read!!!
Ted Kennedy "the Lion of the Senate" colluded with the Russians to defeat Reagan during the '84 election.
This book should be read in tandem with "Reagan's War" by Peter Schweizer - in fact, if they had teamed up to write one book, it would be a stellar, stellar book. Schweizer's book focuses a lot on Reagan's time as SAG President in Hollywood, more so than this one, and Kengor focuses a lot on secret NSDDs and Poland. In fact, Poland is the primary thread that runs through this book, showing up again and again and tying all of Reagan's anti-Communist policies together. The under-the-table aid and the above-the-table rhetoric provided by Reagan and his team is the primary reason that the jewel in the Evil Empire's crown fell away, precipitating the downfall of the USSR as a whole. That and SDI. Kengor's book is, like Schweizer's, a corrective to the liberal trope that Gorby surrendered the USSR and Reagan had little, but mostly nothing, to do with the end of the Cold War. "An amiable dunce," as one detractor famously called him. Kengor writes fairly well, though he is a bit long-winded in places and is not averse to beating a dead horse now and again, introducing a subject, telling us about its impact, then giving a detailed history of the subject, with five examples where three would suffice, then reiterating its impact. Thus the text drags a bit in places. Still an excellent book. The debate between Reagan and Robert Kennedy was an eye-opener, I have only seen snippets of it, and I can't recall reading about it. Ted Kennedy's near treason in the early 1980s left me aghast - not a surprise, but shocking nonetheless. Little details here and there crop up to delight the Reaganaut, and make you long for the days when the CIA had a hand in undermining governments and bringing down our enemies (Cuba, Venezuela, Iran - be glad Reagan is gone).
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