"Mr.Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
Fellow blogger Mike Burleson reminds us that twenty years ago today, President Ronald Reagan stood before the Brandenburg Gate and demanded:
For those my age and older, the Brandenburg Gate, which stood on the other side of the Berlin Wall from the free city of West Berlin, was a powerful symbol of just how divided Europe had been, and how radically different those two Europes were.
You can click here to listen to the speech.
When Mr. Gorbachev failed to answer Reagan's challenge, the people of West and East Germany came together to tear it down themselves. In doing so, they reclaimed their nation and changed the course of human events.
For my generation, Germany was powder keg, divided against itself, which threatened to become the flash point for a devastating global conflict. For my children, Germany is a unified nation, peaceful, prosperous, and a key partner in Europe.
What a change twenty years can make, with a little vision and the courage of a nation whose people were "yearning to breathe free".
Pictured are two portions of the Berlin Wall which were removed and brought to Spartanburg. They were erected in front of the Menzel plant on I-85 Business (the green I-85).
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, tear down this wall!
- Address from the Brandenburg Gate
For those my age and older, the Brandenburg Gate, which stood on the other side of the Berlin Wall from the free city of West Berlin, was a powerful symbol of just how divided Europe had been, and how radically different those two Europes were.You can click here to listen to the speech.
When Mr. Gorbachev failed to answer Reagan's challenge, the people of West and East Germany came together to tear it down themselves. In doing so, they reclaimed their nation and changed the course of human events.
For my generation, Germany was powder keg, divided against itself, which threatened to become the flash point for a devastating global conflict. For my children, Germany is a unified nation, peaceful, prosperous, and a key partner in Europe.
What a change twenty years can make, with a little vision and the courage of a nation whose people were "yearning to breathe free".
Pictured are two portions of the Berlin Wall which were removed and brought to Spartanburg. They were erected in front of the Menzel plant on I-85 Business (the green I-85).
Ronald Reagan
President of the United States
June 12, 1987
Mr. Bush, Senators, Members of the House, fellow Americans, I lived in West Berlin. I never became accustomed to the Wall. It was always an affront to my sense of humanity. I knew it would not last but I never expected to live to see it torn down.
Now that the Berlin wall is gone, I never expected my beloved country to follow in the footsteps of the Soviet Union and be responsible for building a new "Berlin Wall" on our borders.
Mr. Bush, tear down that wall!