Ronald Reagan and the Fall of the Soviet Empire - Three Days in Moscow

Fantastic book on the times of Reagan’s presidency. A must read for all high school students. They will learn more about the inner workings of government. I also purchased three days in January. Also a fantastic book.

In this case 5 stars are well deserved. Bret Baker has provided a well researched riveting account of Ronald Reagan 's lifelong fight for freedom, which, by definition, is a fight against communism. He backs up go research with interviews with many who were there and participated in this battle won without during a shot.

I was alive to witness this time in history but never really knew what happened until reading this book. It makes me proud to know I cast my first and second presidential votes for this man who revived the American spirit and patriotism at a time when it was sorely needed and by sticking to his principles played the role of a lifetime in ending the cold war.

I liked this one a lot and believe you will too.

In this case 5 stars are well deserved. Bret Baker has provided a well researched riveting account of Ronald Reagan 's lifelong fight for freedom, which, by definition, is a fight against communism. He backs up go research with interviews with many who were there and participated in this battle won without during a shot.

I was alive to witness this time in history but never really knew what happened until reading this book. It makes me proud to know I cast my first and second presidential votes for this man who revived the American spirit and patriotism at a time when it was sorely needed and by sticking to his principles played the role of a lifetime in ending the cold war.

I liked this one a lot and believe you will too.

I cannot recommend this book. If your looking to learn something about Cold War history or about United States foreign policy during the Reagan
administration ( which after all is what brought the Soviet Union to its knees ) then this is not the book for you. I suggest the following works instead:
Paul Lettows, Ronald Reagan and is Quest to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and Peter Schweizers, Reagan`s War, both of which are excellent; in addition you might enjoy Paul Kengors fine book, Crusader and Martin and Annelise Andersons more recent book, Reagans Secret War. These books are well documented and provide a clear un-ambivalent history of the momentous events of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

While I do not agree with the authors conclusions I think they have an interesting formula, three days in presidential history which might have changed the world had they been more known and understood. The authors have the right speech and the right moment but they took their work in the wrong direction. First let me just say the United States won the Cold War, to question this is almost as silly as to question whether George Forman really won his 1973 fight with Joe Frazier or if it was more of a collaborative work between the two. Second, I would argue that the authors missed the point of the Moscow Summit entirely. Everything Reagan had hoped to accomplish through his policies was either complete or very near fruition at this time. Clearly what Reagan was doing in Moscow in 1988 was opening a window of opportunity for his successors to follow
through, he was looking beyond the fall of the Soviet Union and providing a roadmap to follow in a post Soviet world. The real story here is why
no one followed it? Instead of Three Days in Moscow maybe the title should have been, A Legacy Lost, with a subtitle, The Squandering of Ronald Reagans Cold War Victory as told through the failures of the Bush, Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations. (or how we went from the
fall of the Berlin Wall to Vladimir Putin) Just a thought.

This is a very good, concise book about Ronald Reagan that centers around Reagan's achievements in the waning years of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. This is not a full life biography but a readable glimpse into what shaped Ronald Reagan and how he used his natural leadership talents to bring peace into the world.

The book gives a general background on President Reagan from his birth in Illinois, through his high school years, his acting years, and into his rise to California governor. We read about Reagan's first term as President including the assassination attempt. Baier then turns the focus to Reagan's 2nd term and the summits between he and Gorbachev most notably their last summit, three days in Moscow in 1988, which the author argues was the most important summit between the USA and the USSR.

Baier gives the reader insight into Reagan's use of humor to build relationships. He shows how Reagan used his style of communication to connect with people and put them at ease, even the Russians. We learn how Reagan used wit, charm, personal intelligence, and a capable team of advisors to draw the Soviet Union toward the ideals of freedom.

The book takes us to the ends of the Cold War and briefly into the Bush (41) presidency when the demise of the Cold War and Soviet Union were solidified. The book ends in an appendix which includes the text of the moving speech Reagan bravely delivered at the University in Moscow in 1988.

The author is correct when he says Reagan "is an uplifting presence to this day--always reminding us of the greatness of our nation and what we can still become." I would highly recommend this book as a handbook to powerful, gracious leadership and a snapshot of a glorious period in American history.

I was sad when the book ended because it warmly reminded me of one of our greatest presidents (easily top 5) and the optimism he told about at every turn.

Excellent! If you read only one book in the next five years, this should be it. It is basically a biography of Ronald Reagan, with emphasis on his interaction with Mikhail Gorbachev to end the cold war and give Russia a chance to become a prosperous democracy (unfortunately, not yet fulfilled). The end of the Communist state was certainly one of the most important events of the 20th century.

Gorbachev is one of my personal heroes. He recognized that the Soviet Union was not working, and tried to fix it -- but,in the end, he failed to do so. It is remarkable that the USSR ended with no loss of life -- except for four people who died during a subsequent attempted putsch. Now 87 years old, Gorbachev is still living in Russia.

May 31, 2018, is the thirtieth anniversary of President Reagan’s speech at Moscow State University. On that day, our 40th president stood before a packed house of enthusiastic students who listened to a message of freedom and hope. Lurking behind Reagan was a mural of the Russian revolution and the bust of Vladimir Lenin. When press secretary Marlin Fitzwater was asked about this strange pairing, he replied, “If anybody would ever appreciate Lenin having to spend an hour and a half looking at the backside of Ronald Reagan, it would be the president.”

Three Days in Moscow: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of the Soviet Empire by Bret Baier celebrates the life and legacy of President Ronald Reagan. Baier provides an inside look at the Reagan administration and the events leading up to his monumental speech at the Moscow State University.

President Reagan inspired hope in each of the participants that day:

Standing here before a mural of your revolution, I want to talk about a very different revolution that is taking place right now, quietly sweeping the globe without bloodshed or conflict. Its effects are peaceful, but they will fundamentally alter our world, shatter old assumptions, and reshape our lives.

We do not know what the conclusion will be of this journey, but we’re hopeful that the promise of reform will be fulfilled. In this Moscow spring, this May 1988, we may be allowed that hope: that freedom, like the fresh green sapling planted over Tolstoy’s grave, will blossom forth at last in the rich fertile soil of your people and culture. We may be allowed to hope that the marvelous sound of a new openness will keep rising through, ringing through, leading to a new world of reconciliation, friendship, and peace.

Baier comments, “He was a messenger of hope, seducing them with their own longings, which he knew they had. How could they resist the poignant cry of their countryman?”

One cannot help but recall that President Barack Obama uttered similar words, namely, to “fundamentally transform America.” But the vision Obama was after had more to do with big government, higher taxes, escalated regulation, and minimized religious freedom. Reagan demanded the opposite and he understood that the Soviet people yearned for this kind of freedom.

At the end of the speech, the audience gave Reagan a standing ovation. Baier reports, “Reagan later quipped that while they were cheering, he’d glanced behind him and seen Lenin weeping.”

Three Days in Moscow: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of the Soviet Empire is a stirring historical tale of freedom that chronicles the ascent of Ronald Reagan to the highest office in the land. Brett Baier accurately and passionately recounts the details of his presidency and the leadership gifts he shared with the American people and the world.

I got the Kindle book from our Library on Overdrive. I hadn't read any reviews because it had just been released. I was pleasantly surprised by what an enjoyable read it was. I really liked the writing style of the book. It was told as a story more than just a history lesson, as there were many personal references to the people involved in the story.
I loved Reagan. and remember being fascinated with the relationship between him and Mikhail Gorbachev. I also remember the unexpected warmth of the American people toward Gorbachev, which at the time was unprecedented. I really appreciated that the book included an informative biography of Reagan leading up to the relationship between them. The relationship was intense, but between two people who, I believe, became genuine friends. The friendship though was always secondary to their priorities for their countries. They would squabble and then have a good time anyway. The 3 days of the book is a small but important part of the puzzle of the outcome of the relationship. One of Reagans finest hours among many, ​

For several decades, the United States of America seemed poised on the brink of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Then, suddenly, it wasn't. Mr. Baier's latest work tells the story of the incredible and sometimes rocky partnership between President Reagan and General Secretary Gorbachev as they sought to reduce the threat of war between the two countries. The book left me wondering how differently our history would have unfolded had either one of them not been there at the time.
On a side note, the book says President Reagan's death occurred on November 5, 2004 (page 324). Reagan died June 5, 2004.

We know Baier has researches and assistance, but in addition to anchoring the best nightly newscast in America, he's knocked another timely and important book out. Meticulously-researched and presented, there are certainly lessons in here for today. Really gives those under 40 an idea of what we (and Reagan) were up against more than three decades ago, as well as how (and why) we won. Perspective matters. Universities would be wise to adopt this balanced book over the partisanship they often require or distribute.

Bret Baier has emerged as a terrific writer of history. And on the day we learn that President Trump has written a letter to the North Korean's stopping the upcoming summit in Singapore, Three Days in Moscow is a detailed history of just how Ronald Reagan won the Cold War with a "peace through strength" policy.

The Reagan Moscow trip which is at the center of the book's title was in fact something that was in the making for most of Reagan's adult life. It is a reminder that presidents are shaped by personal experience - and in Reagan's case his time as the president of Hollywood's Screen Actors Guild (SAG) during the late 1940's is a key to what came later in his life as President of the United States. One of Reagan's strengths was his skill as a negotiator - and as a labor negotiator he was tough as nails. Baier illustrates this trait of Reagan's vividly throughout the book. Particularly notable is his recounting of the explosive Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Reykjavik, Iceland in the fall of 1986.

The summit was out of the blue, "impromptu" as is accurately described, and at Gorbachev's initiative. The physical description of Reykjavik matches the event itself - "remote and chilly...the sun fighting to peek through." The suddenness of the whole event, not to mention its austere locale, meant that the usual trappings of grand summitry were starkly absent. "There would be no ceremonies or elaborate dinners, " Baier writes, "and the media would be held at a remove." This was the first time Reagan would employ a Russia saying: "doveryai no proveryai" - trust but verify. It was a phrase that would over time drive Gorbachev to frustrated distraction. The two plunged into the negotiations over missiles and a potential for their elimination. The rub? Reagan insisted - and insisted understates his determination - on the US keepingSDI - the Strategic Defense Initiative. This was the Reagan proposal that had driven his domestic political opponents into the land of snark, with Senator Ted Kennedy quickly dubbing the idea of a satellite system capable of shooting down missiles from space as "Star Wars." As Reagan and Gorbachev made unexpected progress on missile reduction it was clear that stopping SDI - then a considerable distance from becoming reality -was Gorbachev's goal. Reagan would have none of it.

Writes Baier of the ensuing drama: "Reagan's elation (over the agreement on missile reduction) turned to rage. He couldn't believe that with all they'd accomplished, Gorbachev would throw it away." And with that, the two "pushed back their chairs and rose to their feet - and walked out into the cold Icelandic air, their grim faces telling the waiting press that things had not gone well. Said Reagan: "I still feel we can find a deal." Gorbachev: "I don't think you want a deal. I don't know what more I could have done." Reagan, angrily: "You could have said yes." And with that - summit over.

Three Days in Moscow goes on to tell the rest of the story in similar dramatic fashion, with plenty of behind-the-scenes information that will play a key role for other historians in the future - and most importantly for other presidents. This book is a keeper for students of the Cold War and, even more importantly now, those who are focused on America's dealings today with the likes of North Korea and Iran.The lessons are timeless. And Bret Baier captures them vividly.

Bought the audio book for my commute and really hate to turn off the car. I lived through the Reagan years and Bret Baier does such a great job of laying it out from his very young years through the Presidency and beyond. It was interesting to learn the back story on so many of his decisions and events and his unwavering quest to rid the world of Communism. Not all authors can narrate the book, but Bret does a great job.
Definitely worth it!!!

I lived though President Reagan’s era. The importance of this great man had dimmed a bit. Three Days in Moscow rekindled many thoughts of those times. Reagan had his main goal to rid the world of Communism. He did well. Rest In Peace.

The chances of these two historical giants coming into the world stage at the same time was truly destiny. The authors writing style is refreshing. Facts, details so displayed in a flowing easy way makes for a great read.

Another great book from Bret Baier. More depth into the Reagan Presidency and how he re-shaped the world political picture. I would recommend this for those seeking more depth on Reagan, and specifically the interaction of Reagan and Gorbachev that culminated in Reagan’s speech in Moscow.