Free people，worthy of freedom and determined not only to remain so but to help others gain their freedom as well.

☞ 지난호에서 계속

[영어로 읽는 세기의 名연설] ⑩ 로널드 레이건의 공산주의 몰락 예견 <下>
We cannot ignore the fact that even without our encouragement there has been and will continue to be repeated explosion against repression and dictatorships.

The Soviet Union itself is not immune to this reality.

Any system is inherently unstable that has no peaceful means to legitimize its leaders.

In such cases，the very repressiveness of the state ultimately drives people to resist it，if necessary，by force.

While we must be cautious about forcing the pace of change，we must not hesitate to declare our ultimate objectives and to take concrete actions to move toward them.We must be ①staunch in our conviction that freedom is not the sole ②prerogative of a lucky few but the inalienable and universal right of all human beings.

So states the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights，which，among other things，guarantees free elections.

The objective I propose is quite simple to state: to foster the infrastructure of democracy，the system of a free press，unions，political parties，universities，which allows a people to choose their own way to develop their own culture，to reconcile their own differences through peaceful means.

This is not cultural imperialism:it is providing the means for genuine self－determination and protection for diversity.

Democracy already flourishes in countries with very different cultures and historical experiences.

It would be cultural ③condescension，or worse，to say that any people prefer dictatorship to democracy.

Who would voluntarily choose not to have the right to vote，decide to purchase government propaganda handouts instead of independent newspapers，prefer government to worker－controlled unions，opt for land to be owned by the state instead of those who ④till it，want government repression of religious liberty，a single political party instead of a free choice，a rigid cultural orthodoxy instead of democratic tolerance and diversity.

Since 1917 the Soviet Union has given covert political training and assistance to Marxist－Leninists in many countries.

Of course， it also has promoted the use of violence and subversion by these same forces.

Over the past several decades，West European and other social democrats，Christian democrats，and leaders have offered open assistance to fraternal，political，and social institutions to bring about peaceful and democratic progress.

Appropriately，for a vigorous new democracy，the Federal Republic of Germany's political foundations have become a major force in this effort.

We in America now intend to take additional steps，as many of our allies have already done，toward realizing this same goal.

The chairmen and other leaders of the national Republican and Democratic party organizations are initiating a study with the bipartisan American Political Foundation to determine how the United States can best contribute as a nation to the global campaign for democracy now gathering force.

They will have the cooperation of congressional leaders of both parties，along with representatives of business，labor，and other major institutions in our society.

I look forward to receiving their recommendations and to working with these institutions and the Congress in the common task of strengthening democracy throughout the world.

It is time that we committed ourselves as a nation －－ in both the public and private sectors －－ to assisting democratic development....

What I am describing now is a plan and a hope for the long term －－ the march of freedom and democracy which will leave Marxism－Leninism on the ash heap of history as it has left other tyrannies which stifle the freedom and ⑤muzzle the self－expression of the people.

And that's why we must continue our efforts to strengthen NATO even as we move forward with our zero－option initiative in the negotiations on intermediate－range forces and our proposal for a one－third reduction in strategic ballistic missile warheads.

Our military strength is a prerequisite to peace，but let it be clear we maintain this strength in the hope it will never be used，for the ultimate determinant in the struggle that's now going on in the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas，a trial of spiritual resolve，the values we hold，the beliefs we cherish，the ideals to which we are dedicated.

The British people know that，given strong leadership，time，and a little bit of hope，the forces of good ultimately rally and triumph over evil. Here among you is the cradle of self－government，the Mother of Parliaments.

Here is the enduring greatness of the British contribution to mankind，the great civilized ideas: individual liberty，representative government，and the rule of law under God.

I've often wondered about the shyness of some of us in the West about standing for these ideals that have done so much to ease the ⑥plight of man and the hardships of our imperfect world.

This reluctance to use those vast resources at our command reminds me of the elderly lady whose home was bombed in the blitz.

As the rescuers moved about，they found a bottle of brandy she'd stored behind the staircase，which was all that was left standing.

And since she was barely conscious，one of the workers pulled the cork to give her a taste of it.

She came around immediately and said，"Here now －－ there now，put it back. That's for emergencies."

Well，the emergency is upon us.Let us be shy no longer.

Let us go to our strength.Let us offer hope.

Let us tell the world that a new age is not only possible but probable.

During the dark days of the Second World War，when this island was ⑦incandescent with courage，Winston Churchill exclaimed about Britain's adversaries，"What kind of people do they think we are？"

Well，Britain's adversaries found out what extraordinary people the British are.

But all the democracies paid a terrible price for allowing the dictators to underestimate us.

We dare not make that mistake again.

So，let us ask ourselves，"What kind of people do we think we are？"

And let us answer，"Free people，worthy of freedom and determined not only to remain so but to help others gain their freedom as well."

Sir Winston led his people to great victory in war and then lost an election just as the fruits of victory were about to be enjoyed.

But he left office honorably and，as it turned out，temporarily，knowing that the liberty of his people was more important than the fate of any single leader.

History recalls his greatness in ways no dictator will ever know.

And he left us a message of hope for the future，as timely now as when he first uttered it，as opposition leader in the Commons nearly twenty－seven years ago，when he said，"When we look back on all the perils through which we have passed and at the mighty foes that we have laid low and all the dark and deadly designs that we have frustrated，why should we fear for our future？ We have，" he said，"come safely through the worst."

Well，the task I've set forth will long outlive our own generation.

But together，we too have come through the worst.

Let us now begin a major effort to secure the best －－ a crusade for freedom that will engage the faith and fortitude of the next generation.

For the sake of peace and justice，let us move toward a world in which all people are at last free to determine their own destiny.


▶ Words & Idioms

① taunch : 철두철미한，견고한

② prerogative : 특권，특전

③ condescension : 겸손，정중

④ till : 갈다，경작하다

⑤ muzzle : 입마개，재갈

⑥ plight : 공경, 궁지

⑦ incandescent : 눈부신，빛나는