Tear Down the Curtain Essay

June of 1987, U.S. President Ronald Regan traveled to West Berlin and gave a speech

Throughout the text, Reagan uses tone to express his pride for America. When he says “But oddly enough it starts with one of the things i’m proudest of in the past eight years: the resurgence of National Pride that I called the new patriotism. This

In President Reagan’s speech regarding the Berlin wall entitled “Address at Brandenburg Gate” delivered on June 12th, 1987, Reagan takes the position as the rhetor with the sole purpose of convincing the city of Berlin to unite and get rid of the wall separating the city in two. The wall is described by Reagan multiple times and is described to be both a physical and non-physical wall. Most of the city is separated by the physical wall and those that aren’t are heavily guarded and prevent travel to the other side. The discourse was intended to not only be heard by the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, but by most of Europe and North America. The exigency in Reagan’s

An “iron curtain” of Communism spread over Eastern Europe as the post-World War II world tried to re-build Germany and Easter Europe. As the dictator Joseph Stalin sealed off the Eastern Bloc, the rest of Europe began to re-build under a democratic rule. This re-building continued and the USSR continued to keep their “totalitarian” hold on the East. As the Cold War continued the battle that was being fought soon became the battle between the two world super powers. This led to many conflicts and continued up until finally in 1989 the Berlin Wall was taken down reuniting Western and Eastern Germany and bringing down the “iron curtain“ that shaded the East from freedom.

In the speech “Tear Down this Wall”, the author, Peter Robinson a speechwriter for the White House, attempts to end the divide between East and West Berlin. Robinson wrote the speech; however, former President Ronald Reagan brought it to life when he delivered the speech in West Berlin in June of 1987. Reagan presented this speech in a calm yet persuasive manner, ultimately winning over his immediate Berlin audience. President Reagan’s speech did not just reach Berlin. It was broadcasted all over from Western Europe to North America resulting in Reagan’s tremendous contributions to ending the Cold War. In order to persuade his audience, Reagan uses various rhetorical tools such as suggestions of hope, liberty, and freedom to grab the alienated German forces and reunite the opposing sides.

Ronald Reagan 's speech at the Brandenburg gate was one of the most impactful and important speeches given during the cold war, and aided in the eventual downfall of the Soviet Union. Reagan begins his speech by addressing the people present and recognizing the “freedom” and “feeling of history” of the city of Berlin has. He makes his first reference to previous speakers by saying, “Twenty four years ago, President John F. Kennedy visited Berlin, and speaking to the people of this city and the world at the city hall. Well since then two other presidents have come, each in his turn to Berlin. And today, I, myself, make my second visit to your city,”( Reagan 361) Ronald Reagan adeptly utilizes Ethos Pathos and Logos in his Brandenburg Gate address, he attempts to sway the audience of the importance of success of the marshal plan and western values as a whole, and convince the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to open up the barrier which had divided West and East Berlin since 1961.

This essay will focus on the Reagan Administration which spanned from January 1981 to January 1989. When Reagan became President, he had only one clear, defined foreign policy goal – containment of the Soviet Union, or the “evil empire” as he referred to it. He primarily wanted to stop the USSR from growing larger and to keep other non-Communist countries from becoming Communist. In the past, American presidents had used a theory called the “Domino Theory” to justify the need for intervention around

Throughout his speech Reagan uses examples after examples of how other countries are doing well with freedom, he shows how other countries are doing with the right of freedom and how they are doing extremely well, "Japan rose from ruin to become an economic giant. Italy, France, Belgium-virtually every nation in Western Europe saw political and economic rebirth ; the European Community was founded"(40-41). This shows that Reagan strongly believes that being a Giant economy is a positive thing. This is important because he tries to give facts to the people of berlin that freedom is necessary. Ronald Reagan uses Ethos "We come to Berlin, we American presidents, because it's our duty to speak, in this place, of freedom"(5). This shows that Reagan is telling the people of berlin that he comes here to give back berlin their freedom and tear down the wall that divides the east from the west. This is important because Reagan is from the U.S and he took time out of his way to help out another country to get there freedom

The speech, delivered about 100 yards from the Berlin Wall, marked Reagan's most prominent call. This speech called for the reunification of East and West Berlin. Reagan had much bravery to challenge Gorbachev and was considered a very bold move. Gorbachev was dared to take the Berlin Wall down!

Ronald Reagan, in his speech, (“Berlin Wall”, 1987), the former governor and President of the United States and at the time of the Cold War, “ the most magnetic public figure in the nation”(encyclopedia.com) elucidates to his audience the consequences of residing under the influence of the Soviet Union. Reagan supports his assertion through the use of various rhetorical devices to generate logos, ethos, and pathos. His purpose is to incite a feeling of an injustice done to the people of Berlin and Soviet Allies and to bring down the Berlin Wall as “the most visible symbol of the decades-long Cold War”(History.com) between the Americans and the Soviets during the Cold War. Reagan writes in perfervid tone generated toward the people of Berlin and other Soviet allies in hopes of bringing the Cold War to an end and it is reported by CBS News that he successfully “bolstered the morale of the pro-democracy movement in East Germany”(Brinkley).

At the time when tensions were high and the once divided people of Berlin were beginning to lose hope, Reagan was able to captivate millions and not only unite the Berliners but also the world.President Reagan was a man with strong beliefs that made his statements believable and logical.Claiming the benefits of living in a free, democratic country, Ronald Reagan uses pathos, logos and ethos to sympathize with the Berlin people.Given the time and place when the speech was given, Ronald Reagan took advantage to address the Berlin people of their misfortune and provided a sense of support and hope making his speech more monumental than what it already was. Ronald Reagan was naturally a good rhetoric; and he used his abilities to persuade the world of the injustice of the Berlin wall and win over the Berlin people. “Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate” by Ronald Reagan was a powerful and compelling speech for its time and helped persuade the people to end communism and reunite the people of Germany.

“Tear down this wall!” these were the inspiring and captivating words that came out of President Ronald Reagan’s speech at the Berlin Brandenburg Gate on June 12, 1987. Speaking to the Soviet leader Mikahil Gorbachev, Reagan was calling for the unification of East and West Germany. With the destruction of the wall, he believed it would bring not only Germany prosperity, but The Soviet Union as well. During this speech, President Reagan brings forth the benefits of tearing down the wall and unifying Germany once again. He introduces his strategies to create freedom, economic prosperity, and free trade to stop Soviet Expansion. On this day, President Ronald Reagan’s speech was classified as a heroic event. Why? He challenged the Soviet leader like no other president had before.

The speech was given in west Berlin. At that time Germany was divided into two parts, West Germany and East Germany. This was because after World War II Germany was divided in half. East Germany was controlled by Soviet Russia and West Germany was controlled by the United States, England, and France. Because East Germany was controlled by Soviet Russia, it was a communist state.

In 1963, the government of East Germany erected the Berlin Wall to stop emigration from East Germany into West Germany. In response to the wall’s erection, JFK delivered a speech in West Berlin, right next to the wall. In his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech, JFK effectively employs various rhetorical strategies in order to motivate the people of West Berlin and the world to take a stand against the evils of communism, with the wall being a manifestation of this evil. He utilizes juxtaposition, anaphora, and parallel structure to further his purpose. In doing so, he also effectively sends a message to the USSR that the Western world will not let democracy perish anywhere, and will stand up for all free peoples in the world.

“Let them come to Berlin” is a powerful statement John F. Kennedy repeats multiple times to deliver a powerful messaged during his speech in West Berlin, Germany in June 1963. This speech later dubbed “I am a Berliner” was originally called “Speech from the Rathaus Schoeberg” but since it was remembered mainly for Former Presidents JFK opening and closing phrases, as long as the short speech in between them. I chose to preview this speech because at the turning of WWII Germany was divided in half between a Soviet fueled communist East and Democratic West Berlin. East and West Germany was spit by a wall that was erected. This speech had a last impact on Germany for many years, and Kennedy had a last impression and obtained trust from West Germans as well.