An analysis of the struggle between the U.S. and Soviet Union following World War II illuminates how Reagan, Bush, and Gorbachev finally extricated themselves from the policies and mindsets of the Cold War, a task in which their predecessors had failed.

The origins of the Cold War, 1945-48 : Stalin and Truman -- The chance for peace, 1953-54 : Malenkov and Eisenhower -- Retreat from Armageddon, 1962-65 : Khrushchev, Kennedy, and Johnson -- The erosion of détente, 1975-80 : Brezhnev and Carter -- The end of the Cold War, 1985-90 : Gorbachev, Reagan, and Bush.