Intention

Ronald Reagan’s main intention in his “Evil Empire” speech is to convince Western allies – including the UK – to participate in a campaign for democracy. 

Reagan uses logos to support his idea that totalitarianism is destined to fail and that democracy is the key to freedom. To convince Western allies to continue their support for democracy, Reagan gives the example of several democratic nations that have helped their citizens:

Wherever the comparisons have been made between free and closed societies – West Germany and East Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia, Malaysia and Vietnam – it is the democratic countries that are prosperous and responsive to the needs of their people.

In this example, Reagan uses antithesis to highlight the differences between de...