brandenburg Gate
Brandenburg Gate Speech “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” stated Ronald Reagan in front of the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin. June 12, 1987 was the day a speech was given that was the start of unity for all of Berlin. Within two short years of this speech being presented, the wall that divided freedom and totalitarianism was tore down for good. President Reagan’s purpose was clear to all. His duty was to visit Germany as all of the past presidents had done, and promote the means of freedom like what was shared by the people in the United States. He starts his speech by sharing some of American and German history since 1945 and how the results of the Cold War shaped where they are today. He also makes strong comparisons including the differences in Western and Eastern Berlin, and the failures of the communist governments. This all makes an appearance in the first section of Reagan’s speech while he tries to explain why this wall must come down. After World War II was over Germany was occupied by: France, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union. As this continued, the Soviet Union controlled East Germany and the United States along with their Western allies controlled the West. An American and German tradition throughout history has been for the President of the United States to visit Berlin and speak on behalf of the free Western Berlin and America. As Reagan says, “To those listening in East Berlin, a special word: Although I cannot be with you, I address my remarks to you just as surely as to those standing here before me.” Here he makes it clear that even though the Eastern part of Berlin is not free yet, he is still talking to them. He explains the divided Europe by showing how the barrier is both physical and nonvisible that separate the East and the West. He also goes on to talk about Berlin being a symbol of the whole country because it is a divided city within a divided Germany. Reagan uses comparisons to