Reagan is usually given credit by right wingers for the Berlin Wall coming down.?

Question

Did Reagan have a major influence on the wall being removed, or were there more major players from the West that started the crumble?

Answer 1

There were other players in the Cold War who preceded Reagan's term in office. They deserve varying degrees of credit, but there's no question that Reagan hit the game-winning home run.

Reagan's philosophy was that the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. had roughly equal populations, but the U.S.'s GNP was double the U.S.S.R.'s. Therefore, if we were spending 5% of our GNP on military outlays, they would need to spend at least 10% of their GNP just to keep-up.

Reagan believed that by escalating out military budget we could bankrupt the Soviet Union.

To Reagan's credit, he never mentioned increased military spending without also pointing-out that Americans would reap a much greater "peace dividend" with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, it never happened.

Answer 2

The Pope and the people of Hungary. This is an interesting read and not a word about Reagan. Once again a bunch of Republican spin!

In the year 1989, there were dramatic events such as a massive flight of inhabitants of the GDR via Hungary and big demonstrations in Leipzig on Mondays. After weeks of discussion about a new travel law, the leader of East Berlin's communist party (SED), Günter Schabowski, said on November 9, 1989 at about 7 p.m. in somewhat unclear words that the border would be opened for "private trips abroad". Little later, an onrush of East Berliner's towards West Berlin began, and there were celebrations at the Brandenburg Gate and at the Kurfürstendamm in West Berlin. On November 10, demolition works began with the aim of creating new border crossings. On November 12, a checkpoint at the Potsdamer Platz was opened, and on December 22, a checkpoint for pedestrians was opened at the Brandenburg Gate. So-called "wall woodpeckers" hammered pieces out of the wall, many of which were sold as souvenirs. A few larger segments were officially donated or sold.
On July 1 1990, an economic, monetary and social union between East and West Germany was formed, and all restrictions concerning travels were dropped. The wall had vanished almost completely by 1991; there are a few remainders at the Bernauer Strasse, the Niederkirchnerstrasse (near the building of the former Prussian parliament, now housing the parliament of Berlin) and as the 1.3 km long "East-Side-Gallery" near the railway station "Ostbahnhof".

On February 1997, a red line was painted on the pavement at the former "Checkpoint Charlie" to mark the course of the former Berlin wall. This line shall reach a length of 20 km and shall be replaced by two rows of paving stones.

Answer 3

I'd have to give Pope John Paul II a lot more credit than Reagan. I think he gave a lot of moral support on the Solidarity movement in Poland and focused a of international attention there. That helped Lech Walenca (sp?) win the Nobel Peace Prize and gain more respect and power within Poland. They forced some concessions regarding people's rights and started the chain of events that led to opening borders and finally the wall coming down.

All the events that actually took place were in total opposition to the strong threatening words that Reagan through around. It was the most peacefull overthrow of an empire in the history of the world.

Answer 4

This question has had many 200 to 300 page books written on it. To give you a quick answer, others who should be credited would be Pope John Paul II who provided silent backing to Polish anti-communists, Lech Walenza, the Solidarity leader in Poland, Margaret Thatcher, the UK prime minister who convinced the French and West Germans to stand up to the communists. Even Mikhal Gorbachev for helping expose Soviets to American markets and thinking through "glasnost" should take some credit. However, Reagan was clearly the most visible spokesman in the worldwide fight against communism.

Answer 5

Reagan had a major role in bringing down the Berlin Wall.
He modernized the US military and introduced an increased training regimen that made the US armed forces the class of the world.

But he was not the only player in bringing down the Berlin Wall.
The pope at that time was from Poland and also put considerable political pressure on the Kremlin.
He one of the reasons for the Glasnost movement on the 1980's.
If you do not know what that was the Polish workers went on strike causing political unrest in Poland and unease in the Soviet Union.

The biggest factor in the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union started during the Stallin years.
Anyone who did not make their production quotas was considered a traitor or an enemy of the state.
They were summarily shipped off the Siberia.
To avoid this fate people throughout the entire economy lied about what they produced.
If they were caught in the lie they were shipped to Siberia.
Most got away with it because the next guy to receive the products you produced was doing the same thing.
The entire Soviet economy was built on a lie and eventually collapsed in on itself.

Answer 6

The Soviet Union was brought down by economic collapse, not by a speech from a dumb movie actor.

If you recall those days, you'll remember that the Berlin wall came down when the East German government tried to quell unrest by allowing people to cross over into the west. Germans then rushed the wall by the tens of thousands and the overwhelmed guards were instructed not to shoot them as they crossed. This scenerio repeated itself throughout the Eastern Bloc over a period of several weeks until the governments of Eastern Europe crumbled. Without it's expanded empire and trading bloc the Soviet Union fell apart within two years.

I don't see how any of this has to do with Reagan.

Answer 7

I think JFK had a lot to do with that wall coming down, as did Reagan!

On June 26, 1963, President John F. Kennedy delivered a historic speech in Rudolph Wilde Square in Berlin. The square was packed with cheering West Berliners. It was a spectacle new to Kennedy — one to two million people assembled to greet him.

In the midst of the Cold War he declared, “There are many people in the world who really don’t understand, or say they don’t, what is the great issue between the free world and the communist world. Let them come to Berlin.” President Kennedy, identifying with the citizens of Berlin in their quest for freedom and to be reunited with their families in East Berlin, said, “Ich bin ein Berliner.” (“I am a Berliner”).


The Iron Curtain begins to ascend


President Ronald Reagan delivered a speech at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin on June 12, 1987. His comments were to the people of West Berlin, but audible on the East side of the Berlin Wall. Part of Reagan's intended audience was none other than Mikhail Gorbachev:


"There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

The Iron Curtain began to rise when the wall met its demise. Soon afterward, Gorbachev made his first official visit to West Germany in May 1989. While there, he announced that Moscow would no longer forcefully prevent democratic conversion of its outlying states.
!

Answer 8

1 - You're right, he is usually given some credit for the wall coming down.

2 - Yes, he definitely had THE major influence on the removal of the wall.

3 - The other principal and major player in the drama was Margaret Thatcher.

Answer 9

in basic terms a Marxist Democrat might desire to probably spin Mubarek ceding administration of Egypt over to the militia with out anyone engaging in an election as a democracy. The final Democracy flow the Democrats supported grow to be in Iran in 1979. What a great democracy they have. Is that what Jimmy Carter won the Nobel Peace prize for?

Answer 10

No, he brought it down with sheer rhetoric by saying, "Tear down this wall!" Just like he ended the Soviet Union by saying, "The bombing begins in 5 minutes." Never mind the internal forces that made communism crumble. The Reaganolators imply that Communism COULD work, and would have, if not for his big mouth.