Summitry: End of the Evil Empire part 2

When history hinges on a handshake...  Concluding our double episode on Reagan and Gorbachev’s high-stakes diplomatic dance, Creating History explores a series of summits in the late 1980s that defied the odds and dismantled the nuclear nightmare.

Part 1 left us in Geneva, where a handshake between the former cowboy actor and the Soviet reformer cracked open a door. Now, in Part 2, witness how Reykjavik’s near-collapse, Washington’s triumphant INF Treaty, and Moscow’s symbolic strolls through Red Square turned cautious dialogue into irreversible action. Explore the audacious proposals, white-knuckle standoffs, and startling moments of trust as the leaders sparred over “Star Wars,” slashed missile stockpiles and rewrote the rules of superpower rivalry.

Could idealism outmuscle hardline suspicion? And what lessons do these summits hold for today’s fractured world?

Creating History brings you the untold drama behind the treaties that helped end the Cold War.

 

From Creating History - the team behind Creating Churchill - comes a gripping new season of high-stakes diplomacy, backroom negotiations and world-altering decisions.

 

This is Summitry.  Twelve episodes exploring pivotal meetings that shaped history.

 

When Hitler met Chamberlain. When Kennedy clashed with Khrushchev. When Bush and Blair stood shoulder to shoulder. When Trump had a shouting match with Zelenskyy... History isn’t just written - it’s negotiated.

 

Hosted by Russell Barnes and historian David Reynolds, Summitry takes you inside the rooms where power, pressure and politics collide. Each episode unpacks a defining diplomatic summit, revealing the human drama, strategic manoeuvring and lasting impacts of these encounters. Featuring expert analysis and rich historical context, this series pulls back the curtain on the meetings that changed the course of history.  Because when leaders meet, the world changes…

 

Follow the show at @Creating_Hist on X or Instagram, and send us your comments, voice notes and questions by email to: [e-mail]

 

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Check out our first series Creating Churchill, also available wherever you get your podcasts: https://pod.link/1772845516

 

If you’d like to buy us or the team a coffee at Ko-Fi.com/creating_history, we’d be very grateful. https://ko-fi.com/creating_history

 

Creating History is hosted on Podbean, produced and edited by Russell Barnes, with music by Rich Farnsworth, digital marketing by Lee Mann, and sound engineering by Andrew Chappell.  Creating History is a ClearStory production. www.clearstory.co.uk