Posted: March 6th, 2023
After reading Reagan’s “Tear Down This Wall” speech, discuss how it reflects his larger domestic and foreign policy vision. In your discussion, consider the following questions: What was symbolic about the location of his address at the Brandenburg Gate? Why did many consider his speech provocative? What did Reagan say about mistrust and the nuclear arms race?
SOLUTION
President Ronald Reagan’s “Tear Down This Wall” speech, delivered on June 12, 1987, in front of the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin, is widely regarded as one of his most significant speeches. The speech reflected Reagan’s larger domestic and foreign policy vision of promoting democracy and capitalism while opposing communism and the Soviet Union. The location of Reagan’s speech at the Brandenburg Gate was symbolic because the Berlin Wall, a symbol of the Cold War, separated the East and West parts of Berlin. The gate was located in the heart of East Germany, which was a communist state under Soviet control. The choice of location indicated that Reagan’s speech was not just directed at West Berlin, but at the Soviet Union as a whole. Reagan used the opportunity to call for the unification of Germany and the end of Soviet influence in Eastern Europe.
Place an order in 3 easy steps. Takes less than 5 mins.