The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism

The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism

The inspiration for the upcoming film Reagan starring Dennis Quaid and directed by Sean McNamara “Combining the skills of great story-telling with his commitment to scholarly detail, Paul Kengor has written an important book that also makes for a fascinating read. The Crusader will not only entertain and inform, it will change minds.” —  Peter Schweizer, bestselling author of Blood Money, Red-Handed, and Reagan's War Based on extraordinary research, The Crusader is a major reassessment of Ronald Reagan's lifelong campaign to dismantle the Soviet Empire God and Ronald Reagan made presidential historian Paul Kengor 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 win the Cold War and 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 of US foreign policy history and an enhancement of what historians are only beginning to realize: that Reagan not only wished for the fall 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. 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 finds make this compelling presidential biography not just a work of extraordinary history, but a work of explosive revelation. A Lifelong Crusade: Follow Reagan’s unwavering, decades-long fight against communism, from his early days in Hollywood to his final years in the White House, all driven by a singular mission to defeat the Soviet system. - The Reagan Doctrine in Action: Go beyond theory with a detailed account of the specific policy shifts and strategic decisions Reagan implemented to actively undermine the USSR and bring the Evil Empire to its knees. - Declassified Cold War History: Uncover a revised history built on newly declassified presidential papers and, for the first time, untapped Soviet media archives that reveal what Moscow truly thought of the ‘crusader.’ - Explosive Political Revelations: Discover the stunning details of a secret memo that implicates a major American liberal politician in a scheme with Soviet premier Yuri Andropov to interfere in the 1984 presidential election. “Combining the skills of great story-telling with his commitment to scholarly detail, Paul Kengor has written an important book that also makes for a fascinating read. The Crusader will not only entertain and inform, it will change minds.” - Peter Schweizer, author of Do As I Say Not As I Do and Reagan's War “While many have tried, few have succeeded in telling such a complete history of my dad’s greatest triumph.” - Michael Reagan “ The Crusader is a masterpiece, painstakingly researched, filled with new evidence no one has seen.” - Michael Novak, author of Washington's God and former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Commission “Provides an authoritative insight into Ronald Reagan’s campaign to destroy Soviet communism. Although I served as Reagan’s Soviet advisor in 1981 and 1982, there is information here of which I had been ignorant. Highly recommended as the story of one the most dramatic episodes of modern history.” - Richard Pipes, professor of history, Emeritus, Harvard University “As in his previous work on Ronald Reagan, Paul Kengor’s latest book illuminates a side of the man evident only to those closest to him, including the deep influence of the man’s faith in his attack on atheistic Soviet communism . The Crusader is another important addition to our historical understanding of Ronald Reagan, his presidency, his policies, and the end of the Cold War.” - Bill Clark, National Security Advisor 1982-1983 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 de