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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When I first saw the book it interested me instantly. I have always thought it a coincidence that both Reagan and Thatcher serving in the same period. Two leaders had so much in common but I had not thought about it like a political marriage. I realised after reading that the Sentinel Publishers which had published the book defines themselves as "tough-minded defenders of America's fundamental values and national interests". My objective look was beginning to fade.
The early lives of the leaders are dealt in a quite detailed way. Ronald being a free soul seeking his fortunes first in radio commentary then in acting while Margaret frequents with the Conservative club in her University. Both marry their beloved ones who will later become their personal advisers at home. The resemblances of the leaders' political lives are also intriguing. Both become their party's first choices then going on to win general elections. First Thatcher will get the post of prime minsitry and she will be still there when Reagan will complete two terms in US presidency. Ronald's destiny was full of detours however. After having lost to Nixon and Ford in the primaries he defeated Bush senior in his third attempt for presidency.
In the office both commanded small scale war operations namely Falklands and Grenada, both had a common enemy in Soviet Union and both had cut government funding in social security spendings much to popular critisation. They got on perfectly well and the writer having armed with all the personal correspondences prove that their's was like a true political marriage. Both were criticised bitterly and both have escaped from attempts on their lives. Reagan from a non-political assassin and Thatcher from an IRA bomb.
The US-UK alliance have suffered setbacks on the two small scale wars in the Latin America. In the Falklands War, the notorious Argentina junta was one of Reagan's important allies in the region with a poor human rights record. Reagan cautiously tried to negotiate between his Argentine dictator friends and NATO ally Thatcher. The same thing happened in Grenada where US attacked the island pre-emptively without informing UK. As the island was theoretically inside the Comonwealth the invasion seriously harmed the US-UK relations. However the soul mates and revolutionary conservatives Reagan and Thatcher managed get their relationship going.
Their common enemy was of course the "evil empire" Soviet Union. Reagan and Thatcher defiantly attacked the stagnant communist bloc, happily watching the older generation of general secretaries die one after the other. They financed the solidarity Movement in Poland, encouraged the West Germans to tear up the Berlin Wall in Berlin. Once Gorbachev was raised to the top post of the Soviet Union they found a partner who was not interested in keeping the socialist bloc countries in the Soviet sphere of influence. The tearing up wall started the process of break up of the union.
However their time has come also. After serving two terms in a row, now an Alzheimer patient Reagan quit politics gracefully while the disgraced Thatche ousted by popular uprisings like poll tax riots in 1990 still craved for the days long gone. The book is written in one view, conservative view that sees all the left movements as evil. The not so much detailed miners' strike and the 1990 riots could have been explained in a thorough way. An good book worth reading for preliminary purposes. The Cold War warriors Iron Lady and the tough guy from California deserve to be understood more deeper than this. Just a quick note, Gorbachev was also present in Reagan's funeral, like Thatcher.
It is interesting to see that ordinary people when raised to international scene are vulnerable to pompous circumstances and can be easily dazzled. Nancy Reagan for example loved the luxurios life style of the Royal family of England and was extremely overjoyed when invited to stay in the Windsor Castle or met with the Royal Family .
Interesting thing is their legacy. After Reagan, Bush will go on to take US presidency however the Democrats will pursue his policies. Same thing will happen in the UK after Thatcher's resignation. John Major will be a gray man but Labour Prime Minister Tont Blair will continue Thatcher's policies. Especially with regards to curb the power of the workers' unions and privatisation, the dismantling of the welfare state policies.
The book is easily read but as I said in the publishing issue it is biased unfortunately. However there is much to be learned from it. Give it a try...
The early lives of the leaders are dealt in a quite detailed way. Ronald being a free soul seeking his fortunes first in radio commentary then in acting while Margaret frequents with the Conservative club in her University. Both marry their beloved ones who will later become their personal advisers at home. The resemblances of the leaders' political lives are also intriguing. Both become their party's first choices then going on to win general elections. First Thatcher will get the post of prime minsitry and she will be still there when Reagan will complete two terms in US presidency. Ronald's destiny was full of detours however. After having lost to Nixon and Ford in the primaries he defeated Bush senior in his third attempt for presidency.
In the office both commanded small scale war operations namely Falklands and Grenada, both had a common enemy in Soviet Union and both had cut government funding in social security spendings much to popular critisation. They got on perfectly well and the writer having armed with all the personal correspondences prove that their's was like a true political marriage. Both were criticised bitterly and both have escaped from attempts on their lives. Reagan from a non-political assassin and Thatcher from an IRA bomb.
The US-UK alliance have suffered setbacks on the two small scale wars in the Latin America. In the Falklands War, the notorious Argentina junta was one of Reagan's important allies in the region with a poor human rights record. Reagan cautiously tried to negotiate between his Argentine dictator friends and NATO ally Thatcher. The same thing happened in Grenada where US attacked the island pre-emptively without informing UK. As the island was theoretically inside the Comonwealth the invasion seriously harmed the US-UK relations. However the soul mates and revolutionary conservatives Reagan and Thatcher managed get their relationship going.
Their common enemy was of course the "evil empire" Soviet Union. Reagan and Thatcher defiantly attacked the stagnant communist bloc, happily watching the older generation of general secretaries die one after the other. They financed the solidarity Movement in Poland, encouraged the West Germans to tear up the Berlin Wall in Berlin. Once Gorbachev was raised to the top post of the Soviet Union they found a partner who was not interested in keeping the socialist bloc countries in the Soviet sphere of influence. The tearing up wall started the process of break up of the union.
However their time has come also. After serving two terms in a row, now an Alzheimer patient Reagan quit politics gracefully while the disgraced Thatche ousted by popular uprisings like poll tax riots in 1990 still craved for the days long gone. The book is written in one view, conservative view that sees all the left movements as evil. The not so much detailed miners' strike and the 1990 riots could have been explained in a thorough way. An good book worth reading for preliminary purposes. The Cold War warriors Iron Lady and the tough guy from California deserve to be understood more deeper than this. Just a quick note, Gorbachev was also present in Reagan's funeral, like Thatcher.
It is interesting to see that ordinary people when raised to international scene are vulnerable to pompous circumstances and can be easily dazzled. Nancy Reagan for example loved the luxurios life style of the Royal family of England and was extremely overjoyed when invited to stay in the Windsor Castle or met with the Royal Family .
Interesting thing is their legacy. After Reagan, Bush will go on to take US presidency however the Democrats will pursue his policies. Same thing will happen in the UK after Thatcher's resignation. John Major will be a gray man but Labour Prime Minister Tont Blair will continue Thatcher's policies. Especially with regards to curb the power of the workers' unions and privatisation, the dismantling of the welfare state policies.
The book is easily read but as I said in the publishing issue it is biased unfortunately. However there is much to be learned from it. Give it a try...
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book was thoroughly enjoyable and we have both read it again, and will probably read again sometime in the future.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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12 reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Political Dream Team
25 Feb 2008
Format:Hardcover
Seldom have two heads-of-state been better matched to work for common goals than were Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. However, neither their personal relationship nor their political one was as placid as usually portrayed for benefit of the general public on both sides of the Atlantic. Nicholas Wapshott's dual biography, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher: A Political Marriage, offers a more realistic look at the personal relationship that helped change the course of world history by so directly contributing to the end of the Cold War.
Reagan and Thatcher, whose terms in office overlapped by the eight years of Reagan's presidency, first met in 1975 at the suggestion of a friend of Reagan's who believed that the two would be natural political allies. At the time of their meeting, Thatcher had just been elected Conservative leader and Reagan had just finished his second term as governor of California and was being pressed by some for a run at the presidency. On that eventful day, the pair found their political views to be almost identical and they forged an alliance, both personal and political, that would remain strong and productive throughout Reagan's entire term as President of the United States.
Margaret Thatcher saw Ronald Reagan as an inspirational figure but Reagan's tremendous respect for her political skills, and his willingness to listen to her and to take her advice on a regular basis, placed Thatcher in the unusual position of being almost an unofficial member of the Reagan Cabinet. As a result, Thatcher influenced American international policy like no world leader other than Winston Churchill had ever done before her. She was not afraid to make demands of Reagan and she found him a willing listener who could often be moved in the political direction that she preferred as British Prime Minister.
That is not to say that Ronald Reagan always gave in to Margaret Thatcher's arguments, but she knew that she could always count on Reagan to give her point-of-view a fair hearing. Together, the two leaders hastened the demise of the Soviet Union by keeping the "heat" on its leadership and by engaging their two economies in a spending war for military weapons that the Soviets could not long sustain.
On the surface, the two seem to have had little in common. Thatcher's formative years as a shopkeeper's daughter, with a religious father who seldom allowed alcohol in his home, was very different from the childhood endured by Reagan, son of an alcoholic father who could barely afford food and shelter for his family at times. But remarkably Thatcher and Reagan ended up with the same strong beliefs that nothing was more important than family and religious faith. Both believed in hard work and developed a true appreciation for those who made their living in "trade," producing a strong belief in each of them that everyone deserves respect and fair treatment regardless of social class or financial worth, lessons that served each of them well in their political careers.
Nicholas Wapshott's use of the treasure trove of hundreds of recently declassified letters, notes, transcripts of telephone conversations and recollections of many who witnessed the relationship as insiders has resulted in an effective political history of the eighties and the kind of dual biography that political junkies everywhere will enjoy. Taken alone, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher would have likely been recognized as remarkable politicians, but taken together as a unified team with common goals they enjoyed the kind of success that the pairing of George W. Bush and Tony Blair could only dream about. What they accomplished by joining forces was astounding.
Reagan and Thatcher, whose terms in office overlapped by the eight years of Reagan's presidency, first met in 1975 at the suggestion of a friend of Reagan's who believed that the two would be natural political allies. At the time of their meeting, Thatcher had just been elected Conservative leader and Reagan had just finished his second term as governor of California and was being pressed by some for a run at the presidency. On that eventful day, the pair found their political views to be almost identical and they forged an alliance, both personal and political, that would remain strong and productive throughout Reagan's entire term as President of the United States.
Margaret Thatcher saw Ronald Reagan as an inspirational figure but Reagan's tremendous respect for her political skills, and his willingness to listen to her and to take her advice on a regular basis, placed Thatcher in the unusual position of being almost an unofficial member of the Reagan Cabinet. As a result, Thatcher influenced American international policy like no world leader other than Winston Churchill had ever done before her. She was not afraid to make demands of Reagan and she found him a willing listener who could often be moved in the political direction that she preferred as British Prime Minister.
That is not to say that Ronald Reagan always gave in to Margaret Thatcher's arguments, but she knew that she could always count on Reagan to give her point-of-view a fair hearing. Together, the two leaders hastened the demise of the Soviet Union by keeping the "heat" on its leadership and by engaging their two economies in a spending war for military weapons that the Soviets could not long sustain.
On the surface, the two seem to have had little in common. Thatcher's formative years as a shopkeeper's daughter, with a religious father who seldom allowed alcohol in his home, was very different from the childhood endured by Reagan, son of an alcoholic father who could barely afford food and shelter for his family at times. But remarkably Thatcher and Reagan ended up with the same strong beliefs that nothing was more important than family and religious faith. Both believed in hard work and developed a true appreciation for those who made their living in "trade," producing a strong belief in each of them that everyone deserves respect and fair treatment regardless of social class or financial worth, lessons that served each of them well in their political careers.
Nicholas Wapshott's use of the treasure trove of hundreds of recently declassified letters, notes, transcripts of telephone conversations and recollections of many who witnessed the relationship as insiders has resulted in an effective political history of the eighties and the kind of dual biography that political junkies everywhere will enjoy. Taken alone, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher would have likely been recognized as remarkable politicians, but taken together as a unified team with common goals they enjoyed the kind of success that the pairing of George W. Bush and Tony Blair could only dream about. What they accomplished by joining forces was astounding.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Does an excellent job
13 May 2008
Format:Hardcover
If there was anyone who truly bestrode the 1980s like colossi, it was Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. While they acted upon the world stage, the other nations were forced to deal with them - were forced to react, while they acted. Together they reinvigorated their nations, challenged and defeated the Soviet Empire, and reshaped the modern world in ways that are still being felt some twenty years after their passing from power.
In this fascinating book, author and journalist Nicholas Wapshott, draws on interviews and hundreds of personal correspondences to give a full view of their relationship. Theirs was not the simple, distant relationship enjoyed by most national leaders, instead their relationship was more like a marriage. They shared deeply-held values, they talked out and often fought over policies, and proved impervious to any attempts to set them against each other.
I must admit that I really loved this book. I came of age (politically) during the Carter malaise, and remember the Reagan era with great affection. Plus, what Conservative does not fondly remember Britain's Iron Lady? This book does an excellent job of giving the reader an inside view of the relationship between Reagan and Thatcher, and really explaining what happened between them and what it meant for the rest of the world.
I think that this book does a great job of giving the reader an insider's view of the 1980s, informing and explaining. This is one of the best books I have read in a while - and I read many good books - and I do not hesitate to give it my highest recommendations! Buy this book!
In this fascinating book, author and journalist Nicholas Wapshott, draws on interviews and hundreds of personal correspondences to give a full view of their relationship. Theirs was not the simple, distant relationship enjoyed by most national leaders, instead their relationship was more like a marriage. They shared deeply-held values, they talked out and often fought over policies, and proved impervious to any attempts to set them against each other.
I must admit that I really loved this book. I came of age (politically) during the Carter malaise, and remember the Reagan era with great affection. Plus, what Conservative does not fondly remember Britain's Iron Lady? This book does an excellent job of giving the reader an inside view of the relationship between Reagan and Thatcher, and really explaining what happened between them and what it meant for the rest of the world.
I think that this book does a great job of giving the reader an insider's view of the 1980s, informing and explaining. This is one of the best books I have read in a while - and I read many good books - and I do not hesitate to give it my highest recommendations! Buy this book!
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
A dual biography of two great leaders on the world stage during the 1980s
8 May 2008
Format:Hardcover
Nicholas Wapshott gives us a dual biography of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher and what he calls their `political marriage' during the 1980s when they were the hugely popular leaders of the United States and Great Britain. He shows us their childhood and the unlikely careers that finally lead to the White House and #10 Downing Street. It is interesting to remember that Thatcher's period as Prime Minister began before and ended after Reagan's Presidency. However, Reagan seemed to leave office with greater comfort than Thatcher did. Of course, Reagan was term limited while Thatcher ended up being undermined by her party as well as the accumulation of political missteps.
Wapshott presents their careers and lives in a largely positive light, but does not shy away from criticism. Nor does he favor either Reagan or Thatcher. He shows the strengths of each as well as their blind spots. What the book excels at is showing their friendship and its being stronger than their sometimes vehement disagreements. These periods of confrontation are fascinating. The book bills itself as featuring previously unpublished correspondence, and it delivers these very interesting letters, but there are not as many of them as I had expected. This doesn't detract from the book in any way, but I just thought you should know that this isn't primarily a book of correspondence between the two world leaders.
Were Thatcher and Reagan as important a global leadership team as Churchill and FDR? Maybe not quite, but their partnership during a critical period of the Cold War certainly helped it become a period LATE in the Cold War. Wapshott is not so sure that they caused the fall of the Soviet Union as much as they were in office when the USSR ran out of gas. While I am not a scholar of the period, I lived through most of the Cold War and followed it closely. I have no doubt that Reagan and Thatcher led the West and made things sufficiently more difficult for the Soviet leaders that they did contribute to its demise. And I am delighted each day that they did. You can't point to the way the West has muffed the post Cold War relationship with Russia to judge it any more than you can say that the Cold War makes our victory in WWII less victorious.
A solid, concise, and interesting telling of these two lives on the world stage.
Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI
Wapshott presents their careers and lives in a largely positive light, but does not shy away from criticism. Nor does he favor either Reagan or Thatcher. He shows the strengths of each as well as their blind spots. What the book excels at is showing their friendship and its being stronger than their sometimes vehement disagreements. These periods of confrontation are fascinating. The book bills itself as featuring previously unpublished correspondence, and it delivers these very interesting letters, but there are not as many of them as I had expected. This doesn't detract from the book in any way, but I just thought you should know that this isn't primarily a book of correspondence between the two world leaders.
Were Thatcher and Reagan as important a global leadership team as Churchill and FDR? Maybe not quite, but their partnership during a critical period of the Cold War certainly helped it become a period LATE in the Cold War. Wapshott is not so sure that they caused the fall of the Soviet Union as much as they were in office when the USSR ran out of gas. While I am not a scholar of the period, I lived through most of the Cold War and followed it closely. I have no doubt that Reagan and Thatcher led the West and made things sufficiently more difficult for the Soviet leaders that they did contribute to its demise. And I am delighted each day that they did. You can't point to the way the West has muffed the post Cold War relationship with Russia to judge it any more than you can say that the Cold War makes our victory in WWII less victorious.
A solid, concise, and interesting telling of these two lives on the world stage.
Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI
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