Tear down this wall!
Title
Tear down this wall!
Description
"Tear down this wall", also known as the Berlin Wall Speech, was a speech delivered by United States President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin on June 12, 1987. Reagan called for the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to open the Berlin Wall, which had separated West and East Berlin since 1961. The name is derived from a key line in the middle of the speech: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
Arriving in Berlin on Friday, June 12, 1987, President and Mrs. Reagan were taken to the Reichstag, where they viewed the wall from a balcony. Reagan then made his speech at the Brandenburg Gate at 2:00 pm, in front of two panes of bulletproof glass.
That afternoon, Reagan said, 'We welcome change and openness; for 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...Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!'
Arriving in Berlin on Friday, June 12, 1987, President and Mrs. Reagan were taken to the Reichstag, where they viewed the wall from a balcony. Reagan then made his speech at the Brandenburg Gate at 2:00 pm, in front of two panes of bulletproof glass.
That afternoon, Reagan said, 'We welcome change and openness; for 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...Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!'
Creator
White House Photographic Office
Date
June 12 1987
Source
Archives.gov
https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2007/summer/berlin.htmlÂ
ReaganFoundation.org
https://www.reaganfoundation.org/programs-events?utm_source=googleads&utm_medium=click&utm_campaign=events&utm_content=response&gclid=CjwKCAjw_qb3BRAVEiwAvwq6Vv5wJ_YB4CNO9elaI6J1WQMY6cjSLCaBI6-v6tCiCmLn5WZz8wRrQBoCxWgQAvD_BwE
Regan Foundation
Archives.gov
Archives.gov
Rights
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Publisher
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Contributor
White House Photographic Office
Format
Photograph
Language
English
Type
Speech
Identifier
Freedom, Soviet Union, Reagan, Speech, Berlin Wall
Coverage
Germany
Files
Collection
Reference
White House Photographic Office, Tear down this wall!, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, June 12 1987
Cite As
White House Photographic Office, “Tear down this wall!,” Virtual Museum of Public Service, accessed April 19, 2024, https://vmps.omeka.net/items/show/689.