View from the West Berlin side of graffiti art on the wall in 1986. The wall’s “death strip”, on the east side of the wall, here follows the curve of the Luisenstadt Canal (filled in 1932). Source : Wikipedia
“The wall cannot withstand freedom.”
Ronald Reagan, “Speech at Brandenburg Gate” (June 12, 1987)
As I looked out a moment ago from the Reichstag, that embodiment of German unity, I noticed words crudely spray-painted upon the wall, perhaps by a young Berliner, “This wall will fall. Beliefs become reality.” Yes, across Europe, this wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith; it cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom.
This speech is perhaps best known for the phrase:
Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!
Video of the “Berlin Wall Speech”
Source: The American Presidency Project (americanpresidency.org), established in 1999 as a collaboration between John T. Woolley & Gerhard Peters at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Read more about the Fall of Berlin in 1945, the Marshall Plan and the Cold War in The Hidden History of America At War
The Hidden History of America At War (Hachette Books Random House Audio)
