Ich bin ein Berliner

by President John F. Kennedy

June 26, 1963

After World War II, Germany and its capital city, Berlin, were divided between the communist East and the democratic West. In the early 1960s, tensions were high between the two world powers, the United States and the Soviet Union, as each country sought to preserve and expand its dominance. The Soviet Union's leader, Nikita Khrushchev, vowed to restrict access to West Berlin and, in response, U.S. President John F. Kennedy warned that any attack on West Berlin would be considered an attack on the United States. Fearing the worst, thousands of East Germans crossed over to West Berlin seeking freedom. The Soviets chose not to try to take over West Berlin, but instead constructed a wall made of concrete and barbed wire to physically, politically, and ideologically separate West Berlin from East Berlin.

Q: How does Kennedy's introduction in Paragraph 1 foreshadow the central idea of his speech

A.It mentions the fighting spirit of Berlin and stresses democracy and freedom.
B.It hints at the contrast between democracy and communism.
C.It lists three people who have been important in German-American relations.
D.It reminds the audience that Kennedy plans to evaluate their position on communism.