Transcending the Cold War: Summits, Statecraft, and the Dissolution of Bipolarity in Europe, 1970-1990

“Transcending the Cold War offers a real contribution to Cold War historiography. At a time when end of the Cold War scholarship is enjoying a renaissance, the volume pushes other scholars to more directly consider the interactions among senior leaders.” — Joshua R. Shifrinson, Journal of Contemporary History

“[O]ffers [an] interesting [view] of the evolution and peaceful end of the Cold War.”–Sari Autio-Sarasmo, Slavic Review

“[C]leverly composed….[I]t is a commentary on the political blind flight of our days. Or a contemporary appeal.”–Bernd Greiner, Sueddeutsche Zeitung [translated]

“These detailed analyses, based on extensive archival work, add significant depth to the understanding of international relations and diplomacy…Highly recommended.”–L. J. Roselle, CHOICE

“High-level summit meetings were a staple feature of international politics throughout the 20th century, but at no time were they more frequent or meaningful than in the final two decades of the Cold War. Two distinguished historians, Kristina Spohr and David Reynolds, have compiled an excellent set of essays about the summits from 1970 to 1990 that both reflected and helped to bring about far-reaching changes in the international system. The contributions of the editors themselves and of other leading experts give readers a superb account of the way summits evolved and the impact they had during these momentous two decades.”–Mark Kramer, Director, Cold War Studies, Harvard University

“Kristina Spohr and David Reynolds have boldly undertaken one of the most difficult tasks facing international historians–how to situate leaders within the great forces that shape the world and at the same time gauge how much difference those individuals make. In an elegantly written book which calls on a mass of evidence, they argue persuasively that the summits between key figures such as Khrushchev, Kennedy, Gorbachev or George Bush the elder really mattered. Engaging in face to face negotiations with friends and foes did much to prevent the Cold War from becoming a hot one and, at the end, enabled it to wind down peacefully. Transcending the Cold War is a model of diplomatic history which today’s leaders could read with profit.”–Margaret MacMillan, St Antony’s College, Oxford University

“This is a lucid and compelling account of some of the most important summit meetings of the Cold War. It manages to combine a lively narrative and a wonderful compendium of crucial sources, to address the deeper question of how far individual leaders can be responsible for shaping the course of events, and how far they are shaped by them.”–Bridget Kendall, Peterhouse, Cambridge; former BBC Diplomatic Correspondent

This major multinational study seeks to understand the role played by international summits in the denouement of the Cold War