On June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan delivered a speech in West Berlin, famously urging Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.” The speech symbolized American support for freedom and opposition to Soviet domination in Eastern Europe. Although the Berlin Wall did not fall until 1989, the speech became a defining moment of the Cold War. It reflected rising momentum for reform in the Soviet bloc. Reagan’s message resonated with many Germans and Americans. The speech remains widely cited in discussions of Cold War rhetoric.
