Final answer:
The end of the Cold War was a result of a multifaceted historical process, involving the leadership of both Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, economic pressures, and global democratic movements, rather than the actions of a single individual.
Step-by-step explanation:
Attributing the end of the Cold War to the efforts of a single leader such as Ronald Reagan or Mikhail Gorbachev oversimplifies a complex historical process. The end of this period was a combination of events, including domestic pressures, global economic factors, and nonviolent revolutions that contributed to a change in policy from confrontation to détente. While Reagan's military spending and initially hard-line stance applied pressure on the Soviet economy, it was Gorbachev's glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) policies that initiated significant changes within the USSR, leading towards the end of the Cold War. Both leaders played crucial roles in reducing tensions through a series of disarmament meetings and treaties such as the INF Treaty and START. Moreover, grassroots movements and protests in Eastern Europe and the fall of the Berlin Wall symbolized a broader resistance to Communist rule, which along with economic hardships and the Soviet Union's failure to suppress these uprisings, indicated a shift in global power dynamics. In conclusion, it was a combination of leadership from both Reagan and Gorbachev, economic challenges, and the indefatigable spirit of the global public that brought the Cold War era to an end.