The statue of Ronald Reagan on Liberty Square

The 2,2-meter (7-foot) tall statue of Ronald Reagan standing on Budapest’s Liberty Square near the U.S. Embassy and the Hungarian Parliament building, is the work of Hungarian sculptor, István Máté (Gorondi; MTI). The memorial portrays the 40th president of the United States in mid-stride. Interestingly, he is facing in the direction of a World War II memorial to Soviet soldiers killed during the ousting of the Nazis from Hungary. At the same time, the statue also shows him smiling, suggesting that he could even begin dancing in the next moment.

Ronald Reagan is one of the most well known American presidents. Before he started his political career, he worked as a Hollywood actor, and played in many world famous productions. He was first inaugurated as President of the United States in 1981. One of his biggest political successes was putting an end to the Cold War, and taking a strong and nonchalant stance against the Soviet Union, thus giving hope to many Eastern European states, among them Hungary, that communist dictatorship can be overcome. He also launched the “Star Wars” program in 1981, prompting the Soviets to a race of heavy military spending which they could not win, and which supposedly eventually brought the collapse of the “Evil Empire.”

Reagan has had a memorial in Budapest since 2006, when a bust of the former American President was placed in City Park (Gorondi). The occasion for the unveiling of his second Budapest statue on June 29, 2011 was the centenary of his birth, which was celebrated in many cities around Europe, including London, Prague and Krakow (MTI). The creation of the statue was commissioned by Zsolt Semjén, the chair of the Ronald Reagan Memorial Committee, and former Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister, who previously highlighted that Reagan is a symbolic figure of freedom, and his legacy unites Middle European nations. As the Hungarian government said in a statement, the statue was erected in honor of Reagan for his role in “bringing the Cold War to a conclusion, and for the fact that Hungary regained its sovereignty in the process” (MTI).

Hundreds took part in the unveiling ceremony, where, among many, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave speeches to commemorate the former U.S. President. “Today, we are erecting here a statue to the man, to the leader, who changed, who renewed, this world and created in it a new world for us in Central Europe - a man who believed in freedom, who believed in the moral strength of freed people and that walls that stand in the way of freedom can be brought down,” Mr. Orbán said (Birnbaum).

Rice said the cause of the freedom fighters in Hungary's failed anti-Soviet revolution in 1956 deepened Reagan's commitment to ending communist rule around the world. “The men and women of ‘56 inspired Americans and all free peoples never again to leave those alone who are struggling for their freedom,” Rice said. “And they inspired most of all Ronald Reagan.” Miss Rice said she hoped the Reagan statue in Liberty Square will remind people that “there are still men, women and children who live in tyranny. Whenever we stand in this square and look at this statue, let us pledge that their cause is not helpless. They are not alone. We will stand with them,” said Miss Rice (Birnbaum).

Many people have criticized Reagan for his Hollywood-actor past, saying he was simple-minded, and for his presidency’s tax-cutting policies which lead to a large federal budget deficit; however, his memory today is still surrounded by universal nostalgia all around the world.

Works Cited

Birnbaum, Ben. “Statue in Budapest’s Liberty Square credits Reagan for freedom.” The Washington Times. The Washington Times, 29 June 2011. Web. 11 May 2015.

MTI. “Szobrot kap Budapesten Ronald Reagan.” Múlt-kor. Múlt-kor történelmi portál, 26 June 2011. Web. 11 May 2015.

Gorondi, Pablo. “Ronald Reagan statue unveiled in Hungary.” Yahoo News. The Associated Press, 29 June 2011. Web. 11 May 2015.