"Tear Down This Wall" by Ronald Reagan (1987): "Tear Down This Wall," List 3

In 1987 President Ronald Reagan traveled to Berlin and delivered this monumental speech encouraging Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. retaliation
    action taken in return for an injury or offense
    And in cooperation with many of our allies, the United States is pursuing the Strategic Defense Initiative research to base deterrence not on the threat of offensive retaliation, but on defenses that truly defend—on systems, in short, that will not target populations, but shield them.
  2. crucial
    of extreme importance; vital to the resolution of a crisis
    But we must remember a crucial fact: East and West do not mistrust each other because we are armed; we are armed because we mistrust each other.
  3. siege
    an action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place
    When President Kennedy spoke at the City Hall those 24 years ago, freedom was encircled, Berlin was under siege.
  4. innovation
    the act of starting something for the first time
    Yet in this age of redoubled economic growth, of information and innovation, the Soviet Union faces a choice: It must make fundamental changes, or it will become obsolete.
  5. fundamental
    far-reaching and thoroughgoing in effect
    Yet in this age of redoubled economic growth, of information and innovation, the Soviet Union faces a choice: It must make fundamental changes, or it will become obsolete.
  6. implementation
    the act of accomplishing some aim or executing some order
    Free people of Berlin: Today, as in the past, the United States stands for the strict observance and full implementation of all parts of the Four Power Agreement of 1971.
  7. economical
    using the minimum of time or resources for effectiveness
    To open Berlin still further to all Europe, East and West, let us expand the vital air access to this city, finding ways of making commercial air service to Berlin more convenient, more comfortable, and more economical.
  8. aviation
    the operation of aircraft to provide transportation
    We look to the day when West Berlin can become one of the chief aviation hubs in all central Europe.
  9. enlighten
    make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear
    There is no better way to establish hope for the future than to enlighten young minds, and we would be honored to sponsor summer youth exchanges, cultural events, and other programs for young Berliners from the East.
  10. authority
    persons who exercise control over others
    And it's my hope that an authority can be found in East Berlin to sponsor visits from young people of the Western sectors.
Created on Tue Jun 03 14:37:16 EDT 2025 (updated Tue Jun 03 14:38:45 EDT 2025)

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