1. Identification and evaluation of sources This investigation, examining certain events of the Cold War, will answer the question: To what extent did President Ronald Reagan’s actions aid in the end of the Cold War? The Cold War was a war between the United States and the Soviet Union that took place from 1947 to 1991. During that time several United States presidents took office, one of the last being Ronald Reagan whose actions have been argued to have been more influential than the rest and impactful toward the downfall of the ongoing war with the Soviet Union. The role that Reagan’s actions played in ending the Cold War has been a controversial topic ever since the war came to a close. This investigation will show that, to a good extent, Reagan’s actions …show more content…
Tear Down This Wall: This book source is a recount of the events of the Cold War, focused on the question of President Reagan’s role in eliminating the conflict between Russia and the United States. It was written by Romesh Ratnesar, the deputy managing editor of Time magazine, and published in 2009. Its purpose was to follow Reagan’s presidency and the events leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War, emphasizing the ability of one person’s words to change the world. It is somewhat valuable due to its
Michael Andersen Mr. Bolton Public Speaking CIHS 4 April, 2023 Great Speech Analysis: Tear Down This Wall, Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan, in his persuasive speech, “Tear Down This Wall” (1987) challenges Soviet authority to tear down the Berlin Wall and allow West and East Germany to reunite. Reagan supports his statement by using apostrophe, anadiplosis and anaphora. Reagan's purpose was to prod communist authority in East Germany. Reagan addresses those who were watching television in Europe, North America and especially those that attended his speech live at the Berlin Wall. Ronald Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois on February 6, 1911.
Although Zbigniew Brzezinski was a critic of Reagan’s SDI program, it was difficult for even him to deny that it worked in helping end the Cold War. The SDI, at least, stabilized a nuclear equilibrium, which was a fact that not even he could deny. Reagan successfully, and mostly peacefully ended the Cold War, which brought joy to people of all walks of life, including New Right conservatives. The beginning of the end of the Cold War was the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, which Reagan said, “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!
Reagan wanted to defeat the soviet union and had ways to do that because of the power he had over them, by military and other countries that were with him that only could make him succeed, military influence became accepted after the Reagan defeat because it was seen to be very successful and it is a good and
Reagan On East-West Relation and Clinton Ronald Reagan was surely one of America’s most influential presidents in the realm of international policy. President Reagan was now given the opportunity in the mid-80s when Mikhail Gorbachev was selected as the new Soviet Union leader. Gorbachev was looking to reform the Soviet Union and reduce military spending, this played out well for Ronald Reagan and his agenda of a free world. Ronald Reagan took center stage in 1987 on East-West relations at the Berlin wall, as he speaks of the hardships of the past, the current state of peace, and a future freedom for all people.
Before Reagan’s election in 1980, the United States and the Soviet Union experienced détente, or a period of relaxed tension. However, Reagan was harsh on the Soviet Union, adopting a harsh anti-communism policy. By doing so, Reagan was able to help end the Cold War and cause the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Reagan saw the Soviet Union as being “prepared to commit any crime, to lie, to cheat”, and that they were “the focus of evil in the modern world” (Kennedy, 690).
The Administration of Ronald Reagan is most closely associated with the victory over communism than any other president for a number of reasons. Reagan’s hardline approach as an anti-communist was seen in his election campaign, and spanned throughout his years in office. He blamed Jimmy Carter for the failures to protect developing nations from communism, and worse than anything, the Iranian Hostage Crisis. As the one who publicly demanded the Soviet Premier to tear down the Berlin Wall, he received acclaim from around the world as a crusader for the anti-communism campaign. The release of the prisoners from captivity in Iran, to the operation in Grenada, provided a platform for President Reagan and his administration to become titans in the
His response to an assassination attempt in 1981 was “Honey, I forgot to duck.”. During his presidency Reagan was able to make relationships with several world leaders, like mikhail Gorbatov and Margaret Thatcher. This is one of the things that Reagan did to help facilitate the end of the Cold War. Tensions created between the U.S. and the Soviet Union from World
When Reagan first entered the office, he took a hard line with the Soviet Union, portraying it as an evil empire. His efforts help to end the Cold War. He tried by increasing American weapons, reignited the arms race, revived the military programs, dismissed overtures from the Soviet Union leader Yuri Andropov to cut back missiles. The relation between Reagan and the Soviet Union was better his second term. There were killings, kidnappings, and bombings.
Many of Reagan’s firmness led the destruction and downfall of the evil empire. In 1991, Reagan aggressive policies toward the Soviet Union was a factor that ended the cold war. In the other hand his opposition said that only the good fortune of sane leadership in Moscow save us all from the nuclear apocalypse. Reagan diplomatic legacy was more that his admires or critics are likely to admit.
Once Reagan had taken office on January 20, 1981 the Civil Rights Movement has already taken place. African Americans had gained rights under the new amendments made to end slavery, gain equal voting right, and due process. Previously, the economy was still recovering from the great depression and resources used in the Vietnam War. The Vietnam war brought the fight against communism into perspective because we needed to find new battle tactics to fight against Vietnam. Previously, the US hadn’t sent in troops a majority of the time to try to help the containment of communism.
The Cold War was a serious event that occurred during the Reagan presidency. According to Time.com, many people thought that the Soviets military would overthrow our military, but Reagan wouldn’t let that happen . Instead of letting that happened Reagan grew his military to be stronger and more powerful. Reagan held four international summits with Mikhail Gorbachev, an official for the Soviet government(Warner, insidegov.com). This brought the relationship of the two countries closer together.
Concluding the defeat of the Soviet Union Reagan made a speech in Berlin about the Berlin Wall and he challenged them to take down Berlin Wall.
The Cold War created so much tension throughout the entire world, even countries that were part of the allied powers during the war felt the tension for 44 years. It was a destructive time period for countries geographically, in addition to the men and women who had to live through the struggles that their homelands were facing. There were many people, especially political authorities, who worked tirelessly to assist in repairing the damages made to the Soviet Union and European governmental relations. One of the most commonly known individuals who contributed positively to the Cold War through his efforts was President John F. Kennedy. Although President Kennedy’s term came to an untimely end, his administration significantly impacted the Cold War
On June 12, 1987, former President Ronald Reagan made the famous “Tear Down this Wall” speech to the people of West Berlin. President Reagan made this speech in hopes that the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, would tear down The Berlin Wall. This wall was a symbol of the Cold War and how the United States and Soviet Union continually fought for power. This speech was given to convince the people of Berlin that democracy was the best way to go. ("Tear Down This Wall" Analysis) Ronald Reagan was known for being a great communicator.
Knowing President Reagan’s past is something that is not spoken and written of enough. In the Writing the Life of Ronald Reagan: An Impossible Mission? it helps to bring light to his past and why he was able to use these forms of rhetoric to speak to the harsh realities of the Berlin Wall and its impact on many people around the world. It is important to note that President Reagan “published two (ghostwritten) autobiographies. The first one was published in 1965, just before he entered politics in California; it is entitled Where’s the Rest of Me?”