Daniel Puerta V-16748120

Ronald Reagan Berlin Wall Speech Analysis

1. What is the speech about?

The speech was based on the value of work, family, freedom, and community which was the
central themes of Reagan’s presidency. Also it was about Berlin Wall was the symbol of
communism and was used to impose a totalitarian government; besides that, it was made a
contrast between the communist system at that moment in Eastern Berlin and the capitalist
system in Western Berlin and others parts of the world such as South and Central America, Japan,
Italy, France, and Belgium. In the first one, had occurred technological backwardness, failure,
declining standards of health, even food shortage. In the second one, there was a political and
economic renaissance through the implementation of the Marshall Plan.

Reagan’s speech seeks his audience to be promoters of democracy, and push the symbolic
collapse of the Berlin Wall. Also He calls on Gorbachev to take position against communism and
persuade him through his famous command “tear down this wall”.

2. Who is the speaker?

The speaker was the expresident Ronald Reagan

3. What was the historical moment?

At that time Germany was divided, the Western region was controlled by the Americans, British
and French and the Easter region was controlled by the Soviets. The United States and the Soviet
Union were the main powers, they were fighting for demonstrate if the capitalist or the
communist model worked better, the Soviet Union was already weakened, communism began its
long and steady decline in the Soviet Union and Western Europe and Gorbachev was planning to
liberalize the Soviet economy.

4. What was the inspiration?

The inspiration of the speech was freedom.

5. What is your personal opinion about the speech and the author?

I think Reagan was an excellent strategist who knew how to take advantage of the right
moment to give his speech, also was very intelligent because he let the audience know Gorbachev
had the power and the possibility to change the reality of East Berlin by tearing down the wall and
if he did not take that decision, it would look bad in front of the whole world.

In my personal opinion it was an appropriate speech for the historical context, providing clear
evidence of the shortcomings of the communist system and the failures that it causes in a country
and at the same time showing the advantages and benefits that capitalism produces in a nation.