Reagan's "Tear Down This Wall!" Speech (Full Speech with Narration)

The diplomatic risk behind this speech is worth knowing before it starts: State Department officials reportedly tried to get the line removed from Reagan's draft several times, worried it was too provocative for an already tense Cold War moment, and Reagan kept it in anyway. Narration covers that internal debate and the state of divided Berlin in 1987, along with a biography of Reagan's Cold War rhetoric across two terms, before the complete June 12, 1987 address plays in full. The rhetorical structure builds deliberately toward that one line: Reagan spends most of the speech laying out the broader case for freedom and reform before addressing Gorbachev directly by name, a slow build that gives the demand its full rhetorical weight rather than opening with it. Included in this program: Context on divided Berlin and the internal debate over the speech's draft A biography of Reagan's Cold War rhetoric across his presidency Analysis of the speech's deliberate build toward its central demand The complete address, unedited Subscribe for more complete historical addresses with narrated context. #RonaldReagan #TearDownThisWall #FullSpeech #Rhetoric #ColdWarHistory #BerlinWall