Someone mentioned to me about a very important German speech, given by a politician and referred to as “The Speech”, that was about reconciling Germany’s past and, I suppose, looking toward Germany’s future. I think it was several years ago. D
oes anyone know about “The Speech”? I’d like to read it.
James Francis Byrnes
“On September 6, 1946 Byrnes held his famous “Speech of Hope” in the Staatstheater in Stuttgart, Germany. This speech repudiated the Carthaginian peace forseen for Germany in the Morgenthau Plan, and held out for the Germans the prospect of eventual prosperity and an honorable return to the community of nations. Moreover, in the speech Byrnes committed American forces to Europe for as long as any of the other occupying powers remained in Germany. This speech set the tone of American post-war German policy.”
Thank you!!
I don’t know if **Apollo **has already answered your question, and I’m not clear whether you are looking for a speech given by a German politician, but the first speech that came to my mind after reading the OP was the one that Richard von Weizsäcker, then president of the Federal Republic of Germany, held on May 8th 1985, the 40th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe. It’s generally considered the most important post-WWII speech by a German politician in Germany. Here’s the original text in German, and here you find the English translation.