k and welcome contrast to the three aged and failing general secretaries of the Communist Party”, which clearly illustrates how Gorbachev was completely different to leaders like Brezhnev, Andropov and Chernenko. Gorbachev was 54 and “in robust health”, which meant that he was energetic, young and less set in his ways as leader. He was ultimately more open to ideas compared to previous leaders, so change was already taking place. Oberdorfer argues that Gorbachev was a strong leader as he had more potential to induce change compared to other leaders as since 1972, “there has never been a time when a politically strong U.S. president and a physically strong Soviet general secretary had been in office at the same time”. Oberdorfer highlights there has been 13 years of weak, unhealthy leaders attempting to mend the economy and negotiate with other countries. Oberdorfer calls Gorbachev an “impressive leader” which enforces his central argument: Gorbachev’s leadership was the main reason for the end of the Cold War.

Furthermore, Oberdorfer depicts how Gorbachev was a family man and how he appreciated his wife since he took her “wherever possible”, which clearly shows he valued his wife’s opinion, in contrast to other leaders such as Reagan who didn’t take Nancy with him wherever he went, implying he was strongly opinionated. Gorbachev was a man who was interested in the public’s opinion in order to induce changes tailored on their opinions and preferences, not solely based on his own. The Secretary of State George Shultz observed how “He performs like a person who has been in charge for a while, not like a person who is just taking charge” which illustrates Gorbachev as an extremely adaptable, unforeseeable, hardworking and diplomatic individual. Gorbachev’s leadership was the main factor that led to the end of the Cold War because he w