Essay Questions for Thinking through Sources 28

Assess Change over Time: What do these documents reveal about the ways that Ronald Reagan’s assumptions about and approaches to the Soviet Union changed over the course of his two terms as president? How did he perceive the Soviet Union during the early years of his presidency, and how did those perceptions influence his relationship with the Soviets and his international policies in the early 1980s? What had changed by 1988, and why? What remained the same?

Make Comparisons: Many of these documents emphasize the importance of freedom and democracy. How does Ronald Reagan conceive of these terms, and do his views change over time? What do Geraldine Ferraro’s remarks suggest about how the Democratic Party candidates understood them? What does Mikhail Gorbachev mean when he talks about freedom and democracy in his 1987 speech? To what extent do these individuals agree with one another, and in what ways are their understandings different?

Assess Causation: What do these documents suggest about why the Cold War ended in the late 1980s? How central a role did Ronald Reagan and his policies play? How important was Mikhail Gorbachev? What other social, economic, and political forces played a role in easing tensions between the two superpowers in this decade?

Assess Ronald Reagan’s Strategies: Consider these five documents alongside the textbook section “Reagan’s Cold War Policy, 1981–1988.” Based on your reading, construct an argument about the effectiveness and importance of Ronald Reagan’s strategic approach to the Soviet Union between 1980 and 1988. Do you think he began his presidency with a long-term plan for easing tensions with the Soviet Union while maintaining his credibility in the United States and ending the Cold War? Or did his strategies change and unfold in response to the larger social, economic, and political changes that were occurring during the 1980s?