An acclaimed examination of the latter years of the Cold War, from one of the finest historians of modern Russia.

‘Absorbingly written . . . this book is destined to become a classic of Cold War historical literature’ – International Affairs

After decades of struggles between the USSR and the US over every aspect of security, economics and ideas, the Cold War had seemed like a permanent fixture in global politics. No Western or Soviet politician foresaw that the stand-off would end in their lifetimes, and even the 1985 election of Mikhail Gorbachëv did little to quell the fear of global nuclear Armageddon.

But just four years later, the Berlin Wall was dismantled and perestroika spread throughout the former Soviet bloc. It was a sea change in world history, which resulted in the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Drawing on a wealth of pioneering archival research, The End of the Cold War is a gripping investigation into these final years. A story of American pressure and Soviet long-term decline and over-stretch, it pinpoints the astonishing relationships between President Ronald Reagan and Gorbachëv, Secretary of State George Shultz and the USSR's last Foreign Affairs Minister, Eduard Shevardnadze, who found a way to cooperate during times of extraordinary change around the world. A small, skillful group of statesmen, they were determined to end the Cold War on their watch, irreversibly transforming the global geopolitical landscape.

In true Robert Service style – authoritative, compelling and meticulously researched – this is political history at its best.

‘Our leading historian of the Soviet Union . . . magisterial’ – The Observer

Prizes

Short-listed for Pushkin House Russian Book Prize 2016 (UK)

Our leading historian of the Soviet Union . . . magisterial * The Observer *
What makes Service's book special is its scholarship. His terrier-like persistence in digging into previously unexcavated archives in Russia, across America and around the internet gives his view of this slice of our recent past a firm documentary foundation . . . A magisterial account of a turning point in modern history, whose intellectual rigour and robustness make it unlikely to be bettered -- Sherard Cowper-Coles * The Spectator *
Detailed and clear . . . his main strength is his forensic challenge to the clichés and myths on which western triumphalism about the Cold War is based . . . Service is an authoritative voice offering a more nuanced view -- Victor Sebestyen * The Sunday Times *
A masterful chronicle about personalities and ideas . . . The Cold War ended with the demise of the USSR in December 1991. The great biographer of Lenin, Stalin and Trotsky here offers a superb account of how and why this unexpected denouement came about -- Vladimir Tismaneanu * Times Higher Education Supplement *
Well-written and thought-provoking -- Christopher Andrew * Literary Review *
An abundance of superbly organized material -- Mary Dejevsky * Independent *
Absorbingly written, displaying an admirable command of the sources, this book is destined to become a classic of Cold War historical literature * International Affairs *
This volume is both important and fascinatingly readable. It is a big book but not an exhausting one, a good read with no wasted space * BBC History Magazine *
Service is known for his meaty biographies of Lenin, Stalin and Trotsky, so it is unsurprising that in this intricate history he brings magnificently to life the "big four" who did most to end the Cold War * The Sunday Telegraph *

Robert Service is a Fellow of the British Academy and of St Antony's College, Oxford. He has written several books, including the highly acclaimed Lenin: A Biography, Blood on the Snow, Stalin: A Biography and The End of the Cold War, as well as many other books on Russia's past and present. Trotsky: A Biography was awarded the Duff Cooper Prize. Married with four children, he lives in London.