An illustrated biography of the Soviet leader who came to power in 1985.

On May 31, 1988, Reagan addressed a packed audience at Moscow State University, with a remarkable -- yet now largely forgotten -- speech that capped his first visit to the Soviet capital. This fourth in a series of summits between Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev was a dramatic coda to their tireless efforts to reduce the nuclear threat. More than that, Reagan viewed it as 'a grand historical moment': an opportunity to light a...

The first full account of how the Cold War arms race finally came to a close, this narrative history sheds light on the people who struggled to end this era of massive overkill, and examines the legacy of the nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons that remain a threat today. Drawing on memoirs, interviews in both Russia and the US, and classified documents from inside the Kremlin, David E. Hoffman examines the inner motives and secret decisions...