On June 12, 1987, former President Ronald Reagan gave one of his famous speeches, “Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate.” On a superficial level, Reagan uses the speech to petition to the Soviet Union for peace, nuclear and chemical arms reduction, and the demolition of the Berlin Wall. He also highlights the progress and prosperity that have arisen in the western world since the division between communism and democracy was established. Beyond the surface, Reagan subtly disparages communism while simultaneously building up democracy. He emphasizes the importance of freedom, liberty, free trade, and other democratic ideals and the positive effects the western world has experienced because of them. Above all else, Reagan uses the speech to inspire …show more content…
In the second paragraph he says, “We come to Berlin, we American Presidents, because it’s our duty to speak in this place of freedom.” By assigning speaking in places of freedom to his duties and allocating the cause for prosperity of the western world to freedom, Reagan establishes his ethos as an advocate for “good.” He continues to gain the trust of his audience by displaying his personal concern for the well-being of those in Berlin, in Germany, and in the western world as well as his sympathy for those that reside in the totalitarian state. By revealing his intentions to promote prosperity, Reagan creates a common goal between him and his audience, demonstrating his sincerity and honesty and allowing the rest of the text to be easily …show more content…
He describes the physical wall in Berlin and the wall of restrictions that divides the rest of the country as a scar, insinuating that it is ugly, unnatural, and undesirable. In the third paragraph, he creates a connection between the people of the east and west by describing them as, “fellow countrymen,” and then by saying, “Es gibt nu rein Berlin. [There is only one Berlin.]” This connection poses an enthymeme that the people on both sides of the wall have common goals: freedom, security, and prosperity. Reagan then links these goals to the rest of the world by saying, “Standing before the Brandenburg Gate, every man is a German separated from his fellow men. Every man is a Berliner, forced to look upon a scar.” Until this point, Reagan’s audience appears to be limited to Germans. By unifying these groups, he compels the world to empathize with their German brethren. The pain and suffering felt by the German people becomes that of mankind, encouraging the rest of the world to understand wanting the wall to fall on a personal level. This is further exemplified in the next paragraph when Reagan declares, “As long as this gate is closed, as long as this scar of a wall is permitted to stand, it is not the German question alone that remains open, but the question of freedom for all
Throughout the speech, Elie Wiesel makes clear his appreciation for America and President Reagan: “We are grateful to this country, the greatest democracy in the world, the freest nation in the world, the moral Nation, the authority in the world.” Firstly, Wiesel wishes to appease the American public: He establishes that he is grateful for America’s humanity and compassion and uses an apposition to underscore America’s greatness. In other words, Wiesel concedes that America has done much, but he then continues with a refutation: “But, Mr. President, I wouldn’t be the person I am, and you wouldn’t respect me for what I am, if I were not to tell you also of the
Another way Reagan uses emotional appeals in his speech at the Brandenburg Gate is through the reoccurring theme of good versus evil. The basic idea behind this theme is that America and other Western nations are good and right, while the Soviet Union is evil and wrong. However, unlike his speech to the National Association of Evangelicals in 1983, President Reagan does not come out and blatantly say that the Soviet Union is an “evil empire”. Instead, he gives examples that serve to prove his point without explicitly making any risky statements. To expand on this idea, President Reagan explains how America is good by showing the good things that the American government has done for Europe. This is seen clearly through the example of Reagan talking about the Marshal Plan. Reagan starts by
In the year 1961, the building of Berlin Wall called upon disasters in Germany. United States controlled the west of Berlin while German Democratic Republic held the East. Being stuck under the rule of day to day terror, people from East Berlin were making their way to the West Berlin. West Berlin was a safe spot and freedom checkpoint in the middle of terror. To stop the moving of East Berliners, the East German government decided to build a barrier that limited and halted the East Berliners from leaving. But the battle to control Berlin between, the United States and the Soviet Union, had been taking place since after the division of Germany. The German Democratic Republic wanted better control over its people to spread its communist ideas
For instance, in “Tear Down This Wall,” Reagan addresses the need for the people of West Berlin to accept democracy and oppose the Berlin Wall, which planned to separate East and West Berlin as a symbol of communist oppression. To persuade the Berliners to choose the correct path in such a critical decision, he uses an inspiring and uplifting tone to pull the emotions out of his audience. Near the end of his speech, he
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. 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) His first usage of pathos is when he addresses the east berliners who were separated from the westerners by the Berlin wall and tells them, “I join your fellow countrymen in the West, in this
In Ronald Reagan’s speech he creates this idea of a broken and selfish country. America is founded upon a democratic government that has proved to be useful in that past but, in Reagan’s speech he says, “In this present
Ronald Reagan came to the Presidency without any major political qualifications, but his victory in the Cold War was no lucky outcome. Dinesh D'Souza’s new book, Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader, just published by the Free Press, looks at how Reagan helped end the Cold War. Ten years ago Ronald Reagan stood at the Brandenburg Gate and said, “General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and East...
The republican president not only represented the United States, but also represented the key idea of American culture that was found during the 1980s. His views conservative views has shifted away from the culture of religious ideals and more towards equalitiy for all giving an image of American acceptance in the American culture; “He celebrated religious faith in general but gave scant support to New Christian Right efforts to ban abortion or restore prayer to public schools” (Ribuffo par. 16). The Cold War was also in play during the 1980s and was at its height before ending in 1991, however the famous Berlin Wall that seperated many familes from each other for many decades was taken down on November 9th 1989 representing a relief across all of America showing not only a nationalistic pride, but also the sympathy for others rather than the constant known idea of consumerism in the American culture (“Berlin Wall” par.12).
Wiesel uses it cunningly as his main tool to force an action. Using this technique to accomplish his goals is interesting, as instead of using this to build ethos for himself, he uses it to draw attention to and bolster the ethos of Reagan's position, President of the United States. Wiesel begins by expressing admiration for the great achievements of the American people , however, he quickly transitions to nearly exclusively referring to the head of state himself, throughout the address. The effect is a shift in credit for all these deeds to the president, and effectively personifies him as a representative of American values, "I know of your commitment to humanity, Mr. President". While it may seem like he is buttering Reagan up, he's not. What Wiesel is really doing is holding him accountable for his decision. Showered in praise and punted up onto the moral high ground, the president is now forced to reconcile this visit with the values of the nation, rather than political objectives. What Wiesel has done is trapped him, and now he presses his advantage, using calculated diction to ensure this is no wriggling out of this, "The issue here is not politics, but good and evil. And we must never confuse them." Now, if Reagan follows through with the visit after hearing this speech, not only does he looks insensitive, disrespectful, and opposed to the values Wiesel has
1945; World War II had ended. People all over the world celebrated, even the citizens in Berlin, Germany. Little did the Berliners know that their war was not over? Another war had started, a Cold War, from 1945 to 1989, tearing Berlin families and friends apart. A wall had been built up; they couldn’t travel where they wanted anymore and couldn’t speak their opinions. These were the rights taken away from East and West Berliners.
On June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan visited the Brandenburg Gate in Germany’s capital of Berlin. In 1987, Berlin was celebrating its 750th anniversary and was host to the most dramatic symbol of the cold war, the Berlin Wall. After World War II, the Allies divided Germany among the victors, the western half under democratic control and the eastern half under communist control. Berlin too was divided just as Germany into east and west sectors and the Soviet Union erected a physical barrier in 1961 in order to quell the rampant migration of defectors to the democratic West. From the 1940’s to the 1980’s the United States and the Soviet Union had been staunch political adversaries embraced in a contest for democracy and communism (History.com Staff, 2009).
For many, the fall of the wall proved the triumph of capitalism over communism. East German communist leaders were forced out of office. Negotiations began for the complete reunification of Germany. West German Chancellor H. Kohl assured the world that a united Germany would be no threat to peace. In October 1990, he became the first Chancellor of a reunited Germany. The construction of the Berlin wall in Germany between the 13th of August 1961 – 1989 increased tensions to a significant extent as it was a sign of dominance portrayed by the USSR, was a follow up from the Bay of pigs and U2 spy plane crisis and the US were trying to combat the USSR by setting up the Berlin airlift and demanding peace in the east. The Berlin Wall was arguably the greatest source of tension during the Cold War due to the many significant events happening before and after the construction of the wall. Finally, the construction of the Berlin Wall created significant tensions between the two superpowers, USSR and the USA, which developed into other tensions arising in the Cold War Period. I have analysed the topic ‘To what extent did the construction of the Berlin Wall increase tensions during the Cold War period’ and developed 3 strong body paragraphs that support my
The speech was delivered at the most heated part of the Cold War. During the 40's the Soviet Union was making an "iron curtain" on the eastern side of Europe. An iron curtain is a metaphorical wall of communism. As an example of communism: a person has three cows; the government takes all three cows and gives everyone milk. All the services and goods are given from a classless society instead of a business man or woman making a profit.
The Brandenburg Gate is the trademark of Berlin and over the coarse of its life has been the symbol of peace, victory, power, division, hope, and a united Germany. The gate is a symbol for Germany much like the Eiffel tower is a symbol for France. The gate is located on the Pariser Platz. It is the only gate of a series of gates that once stood in Berlin. The gate is located on Berlin’s most famous street the "Unter den Linden," or "Under the Lime Trees." This street is straight as an arrow, a mile in length and leads directly to the royal residence. Due to these conditions the gate is visible from a great distance.
When the Berlin Wall was constructed, East Germany went into a state of panic, fell into poverty, and adopted a communist government. The citizens of the GDR were filled with terror and anxiety when the border separating them from friends, family, and lovers was constructed. Many attempted to escape but every passing day, the wall became more and more menacing. Trapped, the people of East Germany were forced to cope with the shortage of goods, accept the fact that anybody could be a spy for the STASI, and follow the rule of an oppressive government. Although conditions were grim, the people of the East united together in order to survive. The wall is but a thing of the past, but it will always be remembered by every individual in Germany and the rest of the world.