In late 1981, in an address to the nation, President Ronald Reagan condemned the recent communist crackdown on the Solidarity Movement in Poland.

FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

RELATED CONTENT

In June of 1987, President Ronald Reagan stopped in West Berlin on the 750th anniversary of the city and delivered one of his most famous lines when he demanded that Mikhail Gorbachev tear down the Berlin Wall. In an address to the nation following his return from that trip, President Reagan recalls standing next to the imposing structure.

On June 12, 1987, in a speech delivered from the Brandenburg Gate in West Germany, President Ronald Reagan makes one of his most famous statements when he calls on Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall.

A Warsaw radio commentator describes Germany's invasion of Poland as it unfolds on September 1, 1939. Despite a non-aggression pact between the two countries, Hitler claimed Polish "atrocities" left him no choice but to invade.

In address to the nation, President Ronald Reagan defends his decision to authorize production of the controversial neutron bomb as a warhead for missiles and artillery.

With the country discouraged by high inflation, unemployment, gas shortages and the Iran hostage crisis, former California governor Ronald Reagan easily defeated incumbent President Jimmy Carter in the 1980 election. In his inaugural address on January 20, 1981, President Reagan promises to limit the reach of the federal government.

In the 1984 presidential debates President Ronald Reagan relied on wit and poise to win a second term in office.