The exact words
What Reagan meant in 1987
By 1987 the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was promoting reforms he called glasnost, or openness, and perestroika, or restructuring, and many in the West were unsure whether to believe him. Reagan came to Berlin for the city’s 750th anniversary and spoke in front of the Brandenburg Gate, with the wall that had divided the city since 1961 directly behind him.
The line is a test. If Gorbachev truly wanted peace, prosperity and liberalization, Reagan said, he should prove it in the most visible way possible, by opening the gate and tearing down the wall. It turned the Soviet leader’s own language of reform into a demand, and it addressed him personally, by name, which was unusual for a diplomatic speech.
The fight over the line
The phrase was drafted by Peter Robinson, a young speechwriter who had visited Berlin and heard ordinary West Berliners say they wished Gorbachev would get rid of the wall. Senior officials at the State Department and the National Security Council saw the draft and tried several times to cut or soften the line, arguing it was provocative and would embarrass Gorbachev. Reagan read the arguments and decided to keep it, reportedly telling an aide that it was the right thing to do.
At the time, the speech received modest coverage. It became famous after November 9, 1989, when East Germany suddenly opened its border and crowds began chipping the wall apart. Historians generally credit the wall’s fall to East German protests, Soviet unwillingness to use force and a bungled announcement in East Berlin, but Reagan’s line became the most quoted words linked to it.
How people use it today
The phrase is now used for any call to remove a barrier, from trade rules to office cubicles. If you use it in writing about history, it is fair to call it prophetic, but avoid suggesting the speech itself brought the wall down.
What people get wrong
The speech that brought down the Berlin Wall.
A famous challenge that drew little attention at the time. The wall fell two and a half years later, mainly because of protests in East Germany and changes in Soviet policy.
Timeline
- August 13, 1961East Germany begins building the Berlin Wall to stop its citizens escaping to the West.
- June 26, 1963John F. Kennedy gives his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech in West Berlin.
- June 12, 1987Reagan speaks in front of the Brandenburg Gate, with the wall behind him, and challenges Gorbachev.
- November 9, 1989East German authorities open the border crossings, and Berliners begin tearing down the wall themselves.
Use it in a speech
Questions people ask
When did Reagan say “tear down this wall”?
On June 12, 1987, in a speech at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin.
Who wrote the line?
Reagan's speechwriter Peter Robinson drafted it after visiting Berlin. Senior officials at the State Department and National Security Council tried repeatedly to remove it, but Reagan kept it.
Did the speech cause the Berlin Wall to fall?
Not directly. It got limited coverage at the time. The wall was opened on November 9, 1989, after mass protests in East Germany and a confused announcement by East German officials.
Cite this quote
These cite the original source directly, so you can use them in an essay or paper. Always check your teacher's required style.