The Fall Of The Berlin Wall

On the night of August 13 th , 1961, police officers strung barbed wire across the border of

The Berlin Wall had been in place for 26 years. Increasing unrest was occurring in Berlin, and at this crucial time Ronald Reagan, as several presidents had done before him, traveled to the Brandenburg Gate, seen by most as the symbolical center of the wall. On June 12, 1987, he then spoke of peace between the USSR and the Western world, while motivating Berliners to help take down the wall and come together as a nation once more. Throughout the speech “Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate”, by Ronald Reagan, he makes use of imagery as well as appeals to ethos and pathos to incite the German people to rise up and destroy the Berlin Wall, reunifying Germany.

The person I choose for this topic is Ronald Reagan, he is a big part on how the Cold War ended. Russia, as everyone knows, has always been competitive with the U.S.A, the two countries always go back and forth with each other to be the first at everything. Now the Berlin Wall had been there for some time, ever since 1961. The communist government of Eastern Germany created the wall because they wanted to prevent disaffected people who were trying to fleeing to the West. But with this little did they know the trouble it would cause for the future. There were four powers during the time, Russia, France, Britain, and the United States. Berlin was in the Russian sector, but because the powers were only split amongst four countries it became a

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.

"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" n June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan spoke the people of West Berlin at the base of the Brandenburg Gate, near the Berlin wall. Due to the amplification system being used, the President's words could also be heard on the Eastern (Communist-controlled) side of the wall. The address Reagan delivered that day is considered by many to have affirmed the beginning of the end of the Cold War and the fall of communism. On Nov. 9-11, 1989, the people of a free Berlin tore down that wall. The tearing of the wall represting the reuniting of Germany.

On November 9, 1989 the Berlin wall came crumbling down. For 28 years the wall did nothing but make everyone's life worse. However, when the wall fell everyone’s lives were about to be impacted for the better. Families were reunited, friends saw each other again, and peace was restored. The fall of the wall marked the winding down of the Cold War, and started a new age where communism would cease to exist. Much of the credit was being given to Ronald Reagan, who had visited the wall just a few years earlier. When Reagan gave his “Tear down this wall” speech, no one could’ve predicted, that it would lead to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, and the eventual end of the cold war. Although as a result all communist governments in Eastern Europe had come to an end, would be replaced by “democratically elected governments”. With all this, there was a glimpse of peace and a time of rejoicing for all of the world. ("Fall of

June 12th of 1987 held the day when the audience silenced to hear the famous words of President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin (Gaven). “We believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” (Gaven)! Built by the communists in 1961 and surrounding West Berlin, the wall stood as a symbol of

Supporters of these accusations claim that cracks in communistic system were becoming apparent as early as the 1970s, years before Reagan took the stage. With an inherently unworkable system that would have fallen apart sooner or later, many countries in Eastern Europe were already taking actions to convert to a more democratic society. Claiming that citizens of these overtaken regimes ultimately led to the demise of communism in Europe, people with these beliefs assert that this utter collapse was primarily due to the governments falling victim to pro-democracy movements. Stephen Zunes, an active writer who holds the viewpoint that Ronald Reagan and his administration were not solely responsible for the collapse of communism, is a great believer on the matter and supports his claim with a cogent argument that the very people of the countries ruled under communism were the real activists to demand freedom from the rope ties that they were under. Zunes explains in his article “Don’t Credit Reagan for Ending the Cold War” (The Progressive 2009) in compliance with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that “A new generation of more educated people started to be active. Then society required freedom, society demanded freedom.” He goes on to say that “The reality is that it was the people

In June of 1987 U.S President Ronald Reagan gave a speech urging for the destruction of the Berlin wall and the reunification of Germany. The speech begins with President Reagan complementing the strength and resolve of the people of Berlin. The speech quickly changes its focus to: the Berlin Wall, the Division of the German people, and the problems created by the governments of the communist world. Reagan then mentions that progress is being made with the Communist East and wishes for the same in Berlin. He then reverts back to failures of the Communist East and the strength of the German people. Regan finishes the speech with the idea that the will of the

Gorbachev’s destruction of the Berlin Wall means a lot in Reagan’s opinion because it is the thing that the Soviet could do to reach his idea of making the world peace, comity of nations, and human advanced liberty (ReaganFoundation 2009). People are surprised when he says, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall”, because they think it is impossible and a faint hope (ReaganFoundation 2009).Also, Reagan feels the Soviet becomes to comprehend what freedom is and how significant, so the destruction is one of certain evidences to progress to the freedom and peace considerably (ReaganFoundation 2009). At Reagan’s speech at the Brandenburg, he says the Soviet and other countries controlled by them are the only nation that refuse to join freedom society (ReaganFoundation 2009). However, Reagan insists the Soviet has inescapable choice to be changed fundamentally or get left behind (ReaganFoundation 2009). Thus, he claims Belin is the best spot to start cooperation about improving nation openness and liberalization, so destruction of the Berlin Wall has very important meaning to attain his ideal world (ReaganFoundation

The Berlin Wall is a historical symbol of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall is a symbol of the end of the Cold War. And also, the Berlin Wall played a great role in the life of millions of people and defined the fate of German people, which put them apart by the Wall for a long period of time. Sixteen years after the end of World War II, the communist government of East Germany began building a wall on (August 13, 1961), that would divide the city of Berlin into East Berlin and West Berlin. The purpose was to keep fascists from entering East Germany, but mostly to keep West German citizens, primarily people of valuable professions such as doctors, teachers and engineers, from Changing side to the West. People of Berlin Called the wall Schandmaur, which actually means " The wall of shame". Over the years of the wall being constructed it took at least 3x times to rebuild it, but each time bigger than the last one.

President Ronald Reagan traveled to Berlin in 1987 to give what would become one of the most recognizable speeches of the Cold War era. In it, he challenged Mikhail Gorbachev, the eighth and final leader of the Soviet Union, using one of the most famous lines in history: “Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Two years later, East Germany opened the Berlin Wall so travelers could pass freely through and by 1990, the wall was torn down all together. The Cold War and Soviet dominance over Eastern Germany finally ended.

Reagan demanded that Soviet leader, Gorbachev, remove the Berlin Wall by standing at the gate and saying “tear down this wall!” It showed his determination to get rid of the iron curtain of communism.

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).

On June 12, 1987 President Ronald Reagan gave his speech “Tear Down this Wall,” in Brandenburg Gate West Berlin Reagan begins by discussing the purpose of the Berlin Wall and how the Communists in August of 1961 built it to keep the Germans from escaping Communist-dominated East Berlin into Democratic West Berlin, that this wall was more than just a wall; it was a stark symbol of decades of a Cold War between the United States and Soviet Russia only to stop short of actual warfare. By giving this speech Reagan had intended to rally the people of West Berlin so the people would accept the western democracy and oppose the Berlin Wall. Due to Reagan being president the words he said had so much impact, he was able to use these appeals towards the German people and provide a very convincing argument.