In Part Two of The End of the Cold War, the pace accelerates as reform collides with reality. From Reagan and Gorbachev’s historic summits to the near-breakthrough at Reykjavik, détente begins to reshape the superpower rivalry. But inside the Soviet Union, perestroika and glasnost unleash forces no one can control—economic chaos, political upheaval, and rising nationalism. As Eastern Europe begins to slip from Moscow’s grasp and movements like Solidarity shatter communist authority, the old order starts to crumble in real time. The Cold War isn’t just ending—it’s unraveling. And the consequences will be irreversible.

Books I read for this series:

• Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union by Vladislav M. Zubok (2021)
• The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall by Mary Elise Sarotte (2015)
• Beyond the Wall: A History of East Germany by Katja Hoyer (2023)
• The Last Empire: The Final Days of the Soviet Union by Serhii Plokhy (2014/2015)

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