Leaders, the Global Cold War, and the Historiography of Blame

Leaders who shaped the conflict

The Cold War was driven by ideology and structure, but individual leaders left deep marks. Joseph Stalin's suspicion and his determination to control Eastern Europe shaped the early confrontation. Harry Truman turned containment into policy. Nikita Khrushchev combined reformist de-Stalinization at home with reckless gambles abroad, from Berlin to Cuba, while also speaking of peaceful coexistence. Leonid Brezhnev presided over both détente and the doctrine of intervention that bore his name. On the Western side, John F. Kennedy managed the Cuban crisis, and Ronald Reagan mixed confrontation with an unexpected willingness to negotiate deep cuts. Towering over the ending stands Mikhail Gorbachev, whose reforms and restraint allowed the Cold War to end peacefull