Summits | David Reynolds | An Excellent Overview

Summits | David Reynolds | Excellent Historical Study

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Summits

	Summits David Reynolds Basic Books, 2007 - 576 pages average customer review:based on 3 reviews view larger image
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The Cold War dominated history for nearly half a century, locking two superpowers in a global rivalry that ended only with the collapse of the Soviet Union. For millennia, the outcomes of war had been determined on the battlefield, but the most decisive moments of the Cold War occurred in the carefully worded exchanges of world leaders meeting face to face. In the shadow of the bomb, the summit meeting offered an opportunity for heads of state to rattle sabers and cross swords without triggering nuclear apocalypse. Drawing on extensive archival material, prizewinning historian David Reynolds describes the outsized personalities who negotiated the course of twentieth-century history: Neville Chamberlain, Adolph Hitler, Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Nikita Khrushchev, Richard Nixon, Leonid Brezhnev, Jimmy Carter, Anwar Sadat, Menachem Begin, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Ronald Reagan. While these men addressed epochal issues, the outcome of each meeting was often determined more by individual personality than by international politics. Mishandled summits-Munich in 1938 and Yalta in 1945-brought about World War II and the Cold War, respectively. Kennedy?s disastrous performance in Vienna in 1961 nearly brought about World War III. But successful summits in Moscow (1972), Camp David (1978), and Geneva (1985) led to détente, a partial settlement in the Middle East, and a peaceful end to the Cold War. Written with verve and insight, Summits vividly describes the statesmen who stood, if only briefly, on top of the world. By revealing both the promise and the pitfalls of international diplomacy, David Reynolds offers valuable lessons as we find ourselves confronting once again a war without end.

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An Excellent Overview

Rich in anecdotes as well as context and the backdrop of forces for the summits covered, the 435 pages are well augmented with extensive reference sections and a very detailed index. It is also a study of changes in the practice of high-level, high-stakes diplomacy, ranging from the force of personalities who have little connection to the societies that they represent, to what the author generally describes as a bureaucratic process that involves more and more individuals as the collective world-view's horizons expand. There is an interesting effect that gradually comes into focus during the narrative of these summits, which the author makes excellent note of: the role of communications technology in breaking down information monopolies, exposing risks and rewards for all to see and appreciate as large-scale accommodations are worked out. The book is an easy read despite it's large size, and the investment in time is amply rewarded by a view into what were formerly mysteries, and an understanding of what drove those decisions.

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Excellent Historical Study

This was a brilliant idea for a 20th century history. Absolutely entertaining, it gives you an angle on many major events of the last sorrowful century that is unusual. Reynolds has an ideal diplomat's sensibility: he sees both sides' fears, strengths and vulnerabilities, and he has a good overall perspective, an ability to weigh the true importance of words and events.

The greatest benefit of the book however seems to me to be the character assessments of the personalities involved in the 6 summits he describes. Chamberlain & Hitler; Stalin, Roosevelt & Churchill; Kennedy & Khrushchev; Nixon, Kissinger and Brezhnev, (also Mao and Zhou EnLai); Begin, Sadat & Carter; Reagan, George Shultz & Gorbachev, and many other supporting characters make this a fascinating study of powerful, imperfect, quite human personalities.

A wonderful, interesting book.

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History with a humanity aspect applied

I first heard of this book while listening to a national radio show where the author was a guest. While I was captured at first on a purely historical basis by their discussion of the Neville Chamberlain-Adolf Hitler summit, continuing to listen I was surprised that my interest veered off in a new direction. I determined that this was not a book so much about straight facts boringly laid out such as "Hitler said this, then Chamberlain rebutted with this..." as it is about the people in that event and how human as they were they did shape the 20th Century for better or for worse. The book appears to be very well researched as the author's knowledge on the topics indicate, but with the human aspect interjected I found this book to be quite interesting. While I knew some of the characters and events prior to reading the book, I was astounded at the gravity of some of these meetings that I was completely unfamiliar with. I was aware of some of the outcomes, but never really understood why. In the end I feel the authors take on history is quite accurate and unbiased. I also feel the author did an excellent job of making the characters of history tangible.

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