The 10 Most Memorable Speeches of the Twentieth Century
You may love them or hate them, but the 10 people who make up this list gave the most memorable speeches of the twentieth century – mostly for good reasons. Here, watch and listen to those speeches and decide for yourself whether they should have made this list.
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Winston Churchill: We Shall Fight Them On The Beaches
Faced with the threat of German invasion, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes a speech to the Parliament in the House of Commons. One of the most famous speeches of the Second World War, if not the most famous, this impassioned oration still stirs the blood today.
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John F Kennedy: Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You
Kennedy’s inaugural speech in 1961 was to set the tone for his Presidency if not that of the whole country for the next few years at least. In it he makes a plea for ordinary Americans to consider that they could do great things for their country – and in that way the world. This is a speech that is still talked about today as one of the greatest of all times.
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Nelson Mandela: An Idea For Which I Am Prepared To Die
When Mandela was accused of sabotage in 1964 (and for which he was to suffer decades of incarceration) he made this speech championing the idea of equality for black people in the then deeply divided country of South Africa.
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Franklin Roosevelt: We Have Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself
1933 and America (plus the rest of the world naturally) is in the grip of a terrible economic depression. Roosevelt’s inaugural speech contains the famous phrase “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” – where he explains to the nation that they will survive and prosper in the years to come.
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Martin Luther King: I Have A Dream
In 1963 the Civil Rights movement was still in its infancy and Martin Luther King gave this landmark speech that will be remembered forever. In it he talked about his dream that one day real and true equality would be the hallmark of American society. The speech took place after a march on Washington to call for equal rights for all.
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Margaret Thatcher: The Lady Not For Turning
1981 and beleaguered Prime Minister of the UK, Margaret Thatcher is facing stiff criticism against the introduction of what was then known as The Poll Tax. This involved the removal of the responsibility of Landlords to pay the rates for their houses and placed it in the hands of the tenants. It was deeply unpopular and caused riots on the streets of several cities.
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Nehru: A Tryst With Destiny
1946 and India finally gains independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain. Nehru was the first Prime Minister of this huge, newly independent nation. It is considered in India – and indeed the rest of the world – to be a landmark speech which was the culmination of a one hundred year struggle against foreign occupation of the Indian sub-continent.
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Earl Spencer: The Most Hunted Person Of The Twentieth Century
1997 and Princess Diana’s untimely and premature death leaves a nation – or even the world – in a state of shock and mourning. Her brother, Earl Spencer makes this speech at her funeral. It is a tribute to his late sister and a visceral attack against the media and the family in to which she married.
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Malcolm X: The Ballot Or The Bullet
Malcolm X’s 1964 speech where he outlines his very different view point to the likes of Martin Luther King. In this famous speech he posits the idea to his audience that the black population are not, in fact, Americans, but actually Africans who just happen to live in America. He continually mentions the ballot or the bullet as the options facing black people in America at the time.
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Adolf Hitler: International Jewry
It is 1939 and in the Kroll Theatre, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler delivers a disturbing and nauseating speech. If anything, this puts paid to the consistent rumor that Hitler knew nothing of the fate of the Jewish peoples of Europe. It chillingly and explicitly states the outcome that war would bring for over six million people. Any Hitler apologist needs only to be played this as proof of his future plans.
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User Comments
eddiego65
On July 13, 2008 at 7:04 am
A great list! Most of the speeches were quite inspiring, but Hitler’s the most disturbing.
Fred
On July 13, 2008 at 7:42 am
One speech that was not on there was Ronald Reagan’s Tear Down this Wall speech. I think that this speech should be on the list.
Juliane Elliott
On July 13, 2008 at 8:58 am
This is such an interesting and historical piece. Good choice on a topic too. You really know how to pick the best subjects. 7jg
Anne Lyken-Garner
On July 13, 2008 at 2:22 pm
I loved most of these. I collected them when ‘The Guardian’ newspaper was giving them out with their papers. The best ones for me are the Martin Luther King, and the Winston Churchill ones.
louie jerome
On September 26, 2008 at 7:56 am
Interesting selection! Some of these are inspirational but I consider Mandela to be the greatest of them all. He meant what he said and went on to prove it.
Charley
On April 23, 2009 at 1:47 pm
This was a very helpful website for my homework!
Phill
On July 23, 2009 at 5:05 am
Great selection. I have to agree with Fred though, Reagan’s Tear Down this Wall speech would be here, along with Eisenhower’s prophetic farewell address. Isnt it a shame though that in many cases the men who wrote these great speeches, never got the credit they deserved. For instance Ted Sorensen who wrote most of JFKs inaugural address, in my opinion the greatest speech ever given.
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