Rhetorical Strategies In Ronald Regan's Speech At The Brandenburg Gate

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Reagan’s rhetorical style was fundamental in defining him as a president. In fact, many believe that his speech at the Brandenburg Gate was directly responsible for the collapse of communism. To determine if this is so, it is essential to critically examine his rhetorical strategies and understand who Regan was as a person. Ronald Regan was born in Tampico, Illinois, on February 6, 1911 to Nelle and Jack Regan, a low-income Roman Catholic family. Yet despite his family’s lack of prominence, he went on to do quite a bit in his early life; Regan graduate from Eureka College in 1932, worked as a sports announcer on several regional radio stations, and eventually moved to Los Angeles, California in 1937 to become a professional actor. And over the course of his acting career in Hollywood, he appeared in more than 50 films and served as president of the Screen Actor’s Guild. In the 1950s, Regan moved into television and was …show more content…

A brief look at the severity and damage of this decision can be seen by the example of Regan sending 800 U.S. Marines to Lebanon as part of an international peacekeeping force, in June 1982 – only one year later, in October 1983, to have suicide bombers attack the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon killing 241 Americans. Also, during the early 1980’s Regan implemented the "Reagan Doctrine," a strategy that supported an anti-Communist revolution by providing aid to resistance movements working towards diminishing Soviet influence in regions such as Africa and Asia. In 1983, Regan also announced the Strategic Defense Initiative, a plan that aimed to develop space-based weapons to protect America from attacks by Soviet nuclear

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