20-40 20 1Ronald Reagan, “Remarks at a Ceremony
Voices of Democracy (2015): 20-40 20 1RONALD REAGAN, “REMARKS AT A CEREMONY COMMEMORATING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NORMANDY INVASION, D-DAY,” POINTE DU HOC, FRANCE (6 JUNE 1984) and RONALD REAGAN, “REMARKS AT A UNITED STATES-FRANCE CEREMONY COMMEMORATING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NORMANDY INVASION, D-DAY,” OMAHA BEACH, COLLEVILLE SUR MER, FRANCE (6 JUNE 1984) Allison M. Prasch University of Minnesota Abstract: This essay analyzes two speeches delivered by President Ronald Reagan on June 6, 1984, within the broader context of Reagan's Cold War foreign policy rhetoric. In his remarks at Pointe du Hoc and Omaha Beach, Reagan provided a vivid narrative of D-Day and applied the moral lessons of World War II to the present Cold War struggle between U.S. democracy and Soviet communism. Key Words: Ronald Reagan; D-Day; Cold War; Pointe du Hoc; Omaha Beach; Epideictic On June 6, 1984, President Ronald Reagan delivered two speeches in Normandy, France, marking the fortieth anniversary of D-Day: one at Pointe du Hoc and the other at Omaha Beach. In both speeches, Reagan praised the men who stormed the beaches and scaled the cliffs of Normandy, using the story of D-Day to reaffirm the WesT's commitment to democracy in Europe. He compared the struggles of World War II to the challenges still facing European democracies, pledging that the United States would stand with other nations defending freedom against the threat posed by the Soviet Union. For Reagan, this historic celebration of the Allied victory at D-Day was an opportune moment to recommit the United States and its Western allies to the Cold War struggle between democracy and communism.
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