A Thawing of the Cold War

The selection of Mikhail Gorbachev as General secretary of the Soviet Union ushered a new era in Soviet and American relations. His policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika signaled that the Soviet Union is changing dramatically. Together with President Ronald Reagan, Gorbachev would sign the landmark INF treaty which would scale back the nuclear forces of both nations. These developments, along with the increase dialogue between the two nations, would lessen Cold War tensions.

The picture above perfectly captures the climax of this monumental development. It depicts Reagan's visit of Red Square during the Moscow Summit of 1988. In the picture Gorbachev tells a Russian child, "Shake hands with Grandfather Reagan."