the leaders who were in power at that time. Wilson examines the political leaders and

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1 Wilson, James Graham. The Triumph of Improvisation: Gorbachev s Adaptability, Reagan s Engagement, and the End of the Cold War. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, James Wilson s book The Triumph of Improvisation evaluates the Cold War and the leaders who were in power at that time. Wilson examines the political leaders and their slow willingness to work toward a common goal to overcome the Cold War, would be attributed to the leniency yet narrow mind-set of President Reagan and Gorbachev. Wilson s thesis that there was more than a set plan that helped Reagan with his campaign to end the Cold War but rather, it was his adaptability and willing to engage circumstances which would arise in a moments notice. 1 Wilson effectively supports his thesis through the chronology of his book and his ability to address the many events and scenarios Reagan had to overcome in the wake of the Cold War. Wilson s only setback was that he failed to speak to the moments in which Reagan was forced to improvise rather than continue with his original plans to be steadfast against communism. The chronological order of the Triumph of Improvisation is its most helpful feature. The way in which Wilson designed the organization of the book allows for a concise and coherent understanding of the period as a whole. The chronology is set up so that each chapter focuses on a certain number of years. Wilson s chapters are set up to address certain years while he does backtrack he never goes all the way back to where he began with the book for a long period of time. Some of his chapters backtrack by a year or two to show how the past years were influencing the years in which Reagan and other politicians at the time were affected by the past. In chapter three ( ) Wilson 1 Wilson, James Graham. The Triumph of Improvisation: Gorbachev s Adaptability, Reagan s Engagement, and the End of the Cold War. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY,

2 explains the ways in which Shultz worked to talk about nuclear weapons with the Soviets, and the effects it had upon Reagan s hopes toward peace. 2 The next chapter ( ) on Gorbachev worked to bridge the gap by letting others leaders such as Margaret Thatcher know he wished to end the war. 3 Wilson does go back many years in the fourth chapter on Gorbachev, but he does not exhaust his past references. They are not overused because he quickly applies the dates to explain why Gorbachev had believed in communism, and why as a leader, he sought peace between the nations who had once been allied during the Second World War. 4 The Triumph of Improvisation also allows insight into why the various leaders believed the end of the Cold War would have to come. Reagan s personality and personal life are allowed to be portrayed throughout Wilson s book. The president of the United States is given an entire chapter on his early presidency and his outspokenness on his strict view against communism. 5 The president is pictured as a man who liked to use humor to lighten the mood on a serious situation, much to his detriment though. Because of this Wilson points out that tensions rose between Gorbachev and Reagan because a joke was not received as well by Gorbachev as Reagan thought it would have been. 6 It becomes clear that the leader of the nation was traditional in his political views and longed to defeat communism. 7 Taking this into account it can be seen that Reagan and Gorbachev were products of their past, and they were heavily influenced by their past and present to change the future of their countries. 2 Wilson, James Graham. The Triumph of Improvisation Wilson, James Graham. The Triumph of Improvisation Wilson, James Graham. The Triumph of Improvisation Wilson, James Graham. The Triumph of Improvisation Wilson, James Graham. The Triumph of Improvisation Wilson, James Graham. The Triumph of Improvisation. 24

3 Wilson provides ample evidence through sources to back his belief that Reagan did not always have the capability to follow through with a specific plan when attempting to demolish the Cold War. Triumph and Improvisation proves that the interactions between the Soviet Union and the United States were an attempt at peace and understanding between the two nations. The nations were not always trying to partake in mutually assured destruction, but the opposite. 8 Letters that were written between the two countries are shared in the book. This allows for a deeper understanding of the relationship between not only the countries involved, but the politicians involved as well. One specific letter provided in the text is a letter from the United States to the Soviet Union. The quote from the letter originally written by Baker to Gorbachev urges the Soviet leader to understand that he and Reagan were doing all they could to support him and bring about a kinship between the countries. 9 The placement of this in the book shows how the times had changed from when Reagan had first been elected president compared to the near end of his presidency. Because of the growing communication the Berlin Wall would be taken down, and the Soviet Union would cease to exist as a communist state by However, it can be said that Wilson should have addressed Reagan s improvisations more frequently throughout his book, as that is an important part of his title and it should have been addressed more thoroughly. Wilson frequently refers to situations that arose between the United States and the Soviet Union, such as the meeting, 8 Wilson, James Graham. The Triumph of Improvisation Wilson, James Graham. The Triumph of Improvisation Wilson, James Graham. The Triumph of Improvisation. 202, 204.

4 which Reagan decided he would have to find a way to compromise with Gorbachev. 11 Yet Wilson fails to insert or explain what improvisations had actually occurred on the part of either Reagan or Gorbachev. This is not to say he does not accomplish his goal to explain how the two leaders had to compromise their stances, but it does mean the title is misleading and should be reworded. Wilson explains that there were more countries involved during the Cold War than simply the Soviet Union and the United States. This is left out of many explanations of the Cold War, and it is important to understand the other countries and how they shaped Gorbachev s thoughts about the Cold War. As Hungary began to reform their government, Gorbachev began to see that there was more willingness to work together than there had been prior. 12 By including this Wilson shows how the well the Soviet Union reacted to the countries who wished to attempt to open conversation between Gorbachev and their country. Because this was included it can be seen how Gorbachev wanted to open contact between the countries, thus showing his willingness to not only cooperate, but open his mind to other government ideas rather than simply communism. In all, Wilson s book provides a unique and interesting look into Reagan s presidency and active role in the United States foreign relations and policies. While the book has a few setbacks, it is still a good piece of history that explains the struggle of bringing an end to the Cold War. It does not only focus on the United States, but the entirety of Europe. The Triumph for Improvisation is a book that is not only fascinating, but also a book that analyzes the Cold War rather than summarizing it. It looks at the specific decisions, meetings, and predicaments both the Soviet Union and the United 11 Wilson, James Graham. The Triumph of Improvisation Wilson, James Graham. The Triumph of Improvisation. 146

5 States were forced to reconcile with. The way in which Wilson portrays the two countries and their leaders is informative and proves his thesis effectively, that the two countries while at odds, were willing to cooperate and work with one another while slowly bending their original views.

Winning the Cold War. Ronald Reagan Policies

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