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Reagan, During The Bush Administration, The United States And The Collapse Of The Soviet Union

Posted on:2003-10-24Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:S L ZhouFull Text:PDF
GTID:2206360062485014Subject:International Relations
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
The role of the United States in the disintegration of the Soviet Union remains highly controversial since the collapse of the Soviet Union. This thesis attempts to make a historical evaluation in the specific field on the basis of the first-hand declassified National Security Decision Directives (NSDD)/National Security Directives (NSD) during Reagan and Bush Administrations and declassified archives from the Communist Party of Soviet Union's Politburo meetings on Harvard University's Cold War International History Project (CWIHP) bulletin. Also Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States during Reagan and Bush Administrations have contributed considerably to the thesis.The thesis recons that the role of the United States, most importantly during the Reagan and Bush Administrations, hi the disintegration of the Soviet Union is relatively insignificant.Covertly providing political and economical assistance to the Solidarity Union in Poland while imposing stern economic sanctions against Polish Government, supplying military assistance to Afghanistan's Mujahiddin fighting against the Soviet force, waging a economic and technology war against the Soviet's staggering economy, and launching the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) to deplete the Soviet's financial and military resources for high-tech arms races on strategic defense constitute the overall offensive strategy of the United States against the Soviet Union.By all appearances, the United States was endeavoring to exhaust the Soviet's domestic resources. However, the writer found that the outcome or the real effect of the overall offense strategy is not so significant that it could bring the Soviet Union down, as some high officials in Reagan Administrations and many critics have long conceived, after making historical assessments of strategic blueprint, implementation and impact on the Soviet Union for each of the four above-mentioned dimensions.
Keywords/Search Tags:Disintegration, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, The Unites States, The Soviet Union
PDF Full Text Request
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