A Tentative Study of the selected Inaugural Addresses of the American Presidents during the Cold War.docx

A Tentative Study of the selected Inaugural Addresses of the American Presidents during the Cold War.docx

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ATentativeStudyoftheselectedInauguralAddressesoftheAmericanPresidentsduringtheColdWar

ATentativeStudyoftheselectedInauguralAddressesoftheAmericanPresidentsduringtheColdWar

YuYi

Supervisor

YangHong

AThesisSubmittedin

PartialFulfillmentoftheRequirementsfortheDegreeof

B.A.inEnglish

SCHOOLOFFOREIGNLANGUAGES

XICHANGCOLLEGE

May,2012

Abstract

InauguralAddressesoftheAmericanPresidentsisanimportantformofPoliticalspeeches,whichhasawiderangeofinfluenceandofgreatsignificance.Foralongtime,thelinesofU.S.president’sinauguraladdressesoftenindicatethedirectionofhisrulingforthenextfouryears.IntheColdWar,theUnitedStatesbecameaworldpower,andU.S.President'sinauguraladdressisnolongerconfinedtothedomesticissues,itbegantothinkglobally,andtheworldbegantohearhisvoice.ModalsystemthatThePresidentoftheUnitedStatesadoptedisnotonlyforhighlightingthepromisetothecontent,buildingtheirownauthorityposition,atthesametimeisforkeepingtheharmoniousinterpersonalrelationshipwithaudience.Themodalchooseisnotonlyconsistentwiththepurposeofhisinauguraladdressthatispersuadingthepublictoacceptandsupportyourpoints,isalsoinaccordwiththehistoricalbackgroundofthespecialthatagrees.Duringthecoldwarperiod,thereareatotalof14inauguralspeechesfrom9presidentshandeddown,and10ofthesespeechesarethemostrepresentative.Althoughtheycomefromdifferentpoliticalparties,theirinauguralspeechesarecloselyrelatedtotheinternationalanddomesticenvironmentaswellasthethemeoftheColdWar.We'restillchewingontheinformationbetweenthelines.Inaddition,theresultofthisstudyisofgreatreferencevaluetoChina'soralEnglishteachingandtoimprovethestudents'oralcommunicationability.

KeyWords:

Inauguraladdresses;coldwar;theUnitedStatesideology

摘要

总统就职演说是政治演讲的一种重要表现形式,有着广泛的影响和重大的意义。

长期以来，历任美国总统的就职演说往往包含着他未来四年的执政方向。

而在冷战时期，美国正式成为了一个世界性大国，美国总统的就职演说的意义不再仅仅局限于国内，它开始放眼全球，世界也开始倾听他的声音。

美国总统采用的情态系统不仅是为了突出自己对所述内容的承诺,建立自己的权威地位,还同时是为了与听者保持和谐的人际关系。

这些情态选择不仅与就职演讲的目的,即劝说公众接受并支持自己的观点相符合,也与当时冷战特殊的历史背景相契合。

在冷战期间共有九位总统的14篇就职演说传世，其中最具代表性的共有10篇。

虽然他们来自不同的党派，但是他们的就职演说都与当时美国的国际国内环境以及冷战这一主题息息相关。

字里行间透出的信息更是值得我们思考。

此外,本研究结果对中国的口语教学,加强学生的口语交际能力也有借鉴和参考价值。

关键词：

就职演说；冷战；意识形态

ATentativeStudyoftheselectedInauguralAddressesoftheAmericanPresidentsduringtheColdWar

Contents

AbstractI

摘要II

1Introduction1

2TraditionalPoliticalCulturesontheInauguralSpeech1

3TheFeaturesoftheColdWarintheInauguralSpeech3

3.1WhatistheColdWar?

3

3.2DifferentStagesoftheColdWar5

3.2.1EarlyStageoftheColdWar5

3.2.2MiddleStageoftheColdWar8

3.2.3LatterStageoftheColdWar11

4Conclusion13

Notes15

Workscited16

Acknowledgements17

DeclarationofThesisOriginality18

ATentativeStudyoftheselectedInauguralAddressesoftheAmericanPresidentsduringtheColdWar

1Introduction

Fromthelate1940s,theColdWarHistoryhasbeenthehotspotofhistoricalcircles.AftertheendoftheColdWar,withthedeclassifyingoftheresearchfileandforotherreasons,anewresearchfieldwhichiscalledTheNewColdWarHistorybyawell-knownscholar,JohnLewisGaddis,wasborn.InChina,theColdWarHistorywasalsothemostnoticeableacademicresearcharea.ThisthesisistryingtosearchthefeaturesoftheColdWarintheinauguraladdressesoftheAmericanpresidentstofindanewviewofthisperiodhistory.

2TraditionalPoliticalCulturesontheInauguralSpeech

InAmerican,Newlysworn-inpresidentsusuallygiveaspeechreferredtoasaninauguraladdress.DuringtheColdWar,thecontentoftheinauguralspeechisapproximatelydividedintotwoparts,thatis,inheritinganddevelopingofthetraditionalpoliticalcultureinAmericanandforeignpolicy.Thesetwopartswouldilluminateeachother.Theformeroffersthetheoreticalbasistothelatter,andthelatteristhemostpowerfulpromotionaltoolfortheformer.Therefore,weshouldfirstlyknowaboutthetraditionalpoliticalculturefactorsontheinauguralspeech.

LoyaltyisthemostimportantfactorthattheUSpresidentshavetoobey.Inover200years,whatevertheAdministrationis,orregardlessoftheissue,successiveUSpresidentsallemphasizedhisloyaltytotheConstitution.IntheUnitedStates,theConstitutionhasthesupremeposition.ItistheveryfoundationonwhichtheAmericanpeoplebuildtheircountry.TotakePresidentWashingtonforanexample,thecentralmessageofhisinauguralspeechisthateveryactionoftheAdministrationmustgobytheConstitution.

Equalityisthemostimportantfactorthatguaranteesthesocialstability.Asimilarphenomenoncanbeseenelsewhere.Perhapsthefocusofrulingisdifferentduringthepresidents’administration,butonethingisstillthesame.Thatistoensurepeople'sbasicfreedomsandrights,thusinhisinauguralspeech,eachpresidentusedifferentwaystoexpressthesameprinciple.Intheearlystageofnation-building,Presidentsoftentalkaboutfreedom,humanrightsanddemocracyfromthepositivepointofviewandtheBritishmonarchyisthepotentialantithesistotheUSA.FromthelateWorldWarIItothecoldwar,freedomanddemocracymotionedbythespeechismainlyagainstthecommunism.Ofcourse,DuringtheClintonyears,theantithesisofdemocracyiseverytyrannicalpowerintheworld.

Asaresultofthehistoricalreason,Americanisareligioncolorextremelythicknationality.40oftheUSpresidents（44inall）weremembersofthechurch.Andtherestalsohadacloserelationshipwiththechurch.Therefore,religiouscoloroftheinauguralspeechisinevitable.“Heavenlyfather,webowourheadsandthankYouforYourlove.Acceptourthanksforthepeacethatyieldsthisdayandthesharedfaiththatmakesitscontinuancelikely.MakeUSstrongtodoyourwork,willingtoheedandhearyourwill…”1Besides,weallknowthat,themosttypicallatterpartofthespeechis“GodblessyouandmayGodblessAmerican.”

Asapower,enterprisingviewcanpromotethepresidentstomakemoreeffortsfortheircountry.Asanexpectationforthefuturedevelopment,inauguralspeechrevealsastreamofoptimisticenterprisingspirits.Neartheendofhisspeech,Nixononcesaid:

“ourdestinyoffers,notthecupofdespairbutthechaliceofopportunity.Soletusseizeit,notinfear,butingladness……Letusgoforward,firminourfaith,steadfastinourpurpose,cautiousofthedanger;butsustainedbyourconfidenceinthewillofGodandthepromiseofman.”2

Inthe1989,theelderBushshowedthesameconfidenceandcourageinhisinauguraladdress.“AndIdonotmistrustthefuture;Idonotfearwhatisahead.Forourproblemsarelarge,butourheartislarger.Ourchallengesaregreat,butourwillisgreater.”3

ResponsiblespiritisoneofthebasictenetsoftheAmericanpeople.Politicalleadermustberesponsibletotheentireinternationalcommunityaswellastohisowncountryandpeople.Whenwereadthesespeechesbetweenthelines,wecangettherealmeaningofresponsiblespirit.Kennedyhadafamousremarkinhisspeech:

Idon’tshrinkfromthisresponsibility—Iwelcomeit…MyfellowAmericans,asknotwhatyourcountrycandoforyou;askwhatyoucandoforcountry.Myfellowcitizensoftheworld:

AsknotwhatAmericanwilldoforyou,butwhattogetherwecandoforthefreedomofman.4

3TheFeaturesoftheColdWarintheInauguralSpeech

TheinauguralspeechoftheUnitedStatespresidentsisakindofpoliticalspeechesthatthenewlyelectedpresidentmakestodomesticandoverseas.Presidentsannouncetheplatformsandpersuadepublicstoacceptandsupporthispoints.Inaugurationspeechisauniqueandimportantpracticalstylethathaswidelyinfluenceandisofgreatsignificance.However,astimegoes,Englishhastochangeitselfinordertomeettherequirementsofdifferentperiod.TheinaugurationspeechoftheUnitedStatespresidentsindifferenthistoricalperiodreflectsthedifferentcharacteristicsintheperiod.

3.1WhatistheColdWar?

ColdWaristheconflictbetweentheCommunistnationsledbytheSovietUnionandtheDemocraticnations（ortheCapitalistcountries）ledbytheUnitedStates.Theconflictisfoughtbyallmeansexcepttherealwar-propaganda,economicwar,diplomatichagglingandoccasionalmilitaryclashes.Itisfoughtinallplaces-inneutralstates,innewlyindependentnationsinAfrica,Asiaandeveninouterspace.

ThehistorianshavesofarnotreachedanyagreementonthetimeinwhichtheColdWarbegan.Itis,however,quitecertaintosaythatsince1947whenPresidentTrumanoftheUnitedStatesdeclaredananti-communistpolicywhenhemadehisStateofUnionMessage.,theColdWarbetweentheUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnionhasbegun.

Thereweredeep-rootedideological,economicandpoliticaldifferencesbetweentheSovietUnionandtheUnitedStates,ortheWest,beforetheSecondWorldWar.ThesedifferenceswereintensifiedasaresultoftheirmutualsuspicionsimmediatelyaftertheSecondWorldWar.

（1）Ideological:

TheUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnionrepresenttwoopposingsystemsofgovernment.IntheUnitedStates,thegovernmentiselectedbyfreeelections.Thepeoplecanformpoliticalpartiestovoicetheirpoliticalopinions.Theyalsopossesstherightofassembly,ofspeechandofthepress.IntheSovietUnion,thegovernmentisformedbytheCommunistParty.Thepeopledonothavetherighttoformtheirownpoliticalparties.Theydonotenjoytherightofassembly,ofspeechandofthepress.Sincethesetwosystemsofgovernmentarediametricallyopposedtoonean