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    The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism
    The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism
    The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism
    Audiobook13 hours

    The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism

    Written by Paul Kengor

    Narrated by John Pruden

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Based on extraordinary research: 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 USSR to counter Reagan's efforts

    Paul Kengor's 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. Now, 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–still in office today–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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateFeb 22, 2011
    ISBN9780062085016
    Author

    Paul Kengor

    Paul Kengor is the author of the New York Times extended-list bestseller God and Ronald Reagan as well as God and George W. Bush and The Crusader. He is a professor of political science and director of the Center for Vision and Values at Grove City College. He lives with his wife and children in Grove City, Pennsylvania.

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    Reviews for The Crusader

    4.5/5

    16 ratings3 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Dr. Paul Kengor, a political science professor at Grove City (Penn.) College, does a masterful job documenting President Reagan's disdain for communism and how he transformed his attitude into a strategy to bring about communism's fall.The book includes four parts: the first is a discussion of Reagan's years as a youth in Dixon and Eureka, Illinois; his years as a movie and television star/personality; his union membership and involvement; and, his movement into politics and service as governor of California. Parts two and three cover the Reagan's two terms as President, with emphasis on his actions to bring down communism. Part four covers the years 1989-1991 during which time the Soviet Empire came to an end.Dr. Kengor's book includes 75 pages of chapter end-notes to support and enhance his analysis and presentation. Persons of all political persuasions are encouraged to read this book. I think they will find it to be an easy and enjoyable read.The book also includes a nice index.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      This is the first historical book that I've read on Ronald Reagan. I bought it about five years ago, and never got around to it. I finally decided to give it a go.Although Paul Kengor presents a very partial view of the overall Reagan Administration, I can not argue with the historical evidence he used in trying to prove his thesis that Ronald Reagan ended the Cold War. There were very compelling points he made throughout the book, especially Reagan's use of economic warfare (SDI) that placed massive pressure on a failing Soviet economy.I know that this book was entirely devoted to the Cold War, but I thought it was a poor decision by Kengor to only skim over the Iran/Contra Affair. Nevertheless, I must give him props for admitting that it was a massive stain on Reagan's legacy.Overall, this book was better than I thought. It was thoroughly researched, and Kengor did a good job of proving his point. I definitely recommend this book to Reagan fans.
    • 5/5
      Dr. Paul Kengor, a political science professor at Grove City (Penn.) College, does a masterful job documenting President Reagan's disdain for communism and how he transformed his attitude into a strategy to bring about communism's fall.The book includes four parts: the first is a discussion of Reagan's years as a youth in Dixon and Eureka, Illinois; his years as a movie and television star/personality; his union membership and involvement; and, his movement into politics and service as governor of California. Parts two and three cover the Reagan's two terms as President, with emphasis on his actions to bring down communism. Part four covers the years 1989-1991 during which time the Soviet Empire came to an end.Dr. Kengor's book includes 75 pages of chapter end-notes to support and enhance his analysis and presentation. Persons of all political persuasions are encouraged to read this book. I think they will find it to be an easy and enjoyable read.The book also includes a nice index.