Marshall Plan Achievements

The American policy of Marshall Aid sparked both huge appraisal and significant opposition, and to this day it is debated whether it was purely a policy of self-interest and an imposition of America’s political and economic views on a weak and vulnerable Europe, or alternatively one of the greatest acts of altruism and generosity in modern history. It was enormously successful, ‘It was the most unambiguously and triumphantly successful of all America’s post-war policies’ , and helped to create a foundation on which Europe could become an economic power. While there were benefits to America which may have been interpreted as attempts to increase American power and inflamed opposition to the Marshall Plan, the administering of economic aid

First and foremost, a great deal of Europe’s success would not have happened without its initial aid from the United States. After helping destroy so much of the continent, the U.S. pumped billions and billions of dollars back into the European economy through The Marshall Plan. It was named after Secretary of State George C. Marshall, who said “The world of suffering people looks to us for leadership. Their thoughts, however, are not concentrated alone on this problem. They have more immediate and terribly pressing concerns where the mouthful of food will come from, where they will find shelter tonight, and where they will find warmth. Along with the great problem of maintaining the peace we must solve the

The evidence for this comes from Rep. Charles W. Vursell wrote, “...20,000,000 that you would waste in the Marshall Plan, and spend them here at home in building the strongest air force.. in the world.” (Vursell, 1, 1947) Using this, is clear that the Marshall Plan is effective because the U.S. would loan more money on other countries instead of using it here at home.

George Marshall occupied the Secretary of State position during Truman’s presidency. He impacted Truman’s foreign policies regarding Europe. He believed that in order to halt the expansion of a communist regime, European countries needed to become stronger and autonomous. Marshall understood that limiting communism would require time and effort. He recognized that to become independent, European countries would primarily have to rely on the aid of other countries in order to regain a foothold. He did not however, want these countries to depend on Russia for assistance, as it would allow Russia

The idea of creating the Marshall Plan can be credited to General George C. Marshall Jr. of Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Marshall served as the Secretary of State after his time at war. With the help of the American diplomat, George Kennan and President Harry Truman, Marshall was able to see through with creating his plan. In 1946, Kennan was ordered by

The tensions that were between the Soviet Union and the US were growing. Nuclear threats from both sides caused hatred. In document three the excerpt from Secretary Marshall's speech he explains how he suggests a plan/policy for the reconstruction of Europe. Because the world was in such a dismal the United States tried to help

The speech was created primarily Charles Bohlen, a Soviet expert and Marshall’s special assistant, and later revised by Marshall. Department officials, including George Kennan and William Clayton saw the Marshall Plan as a way of restricting Communist growth in Europe, by strengthening the struggling democratic European nations . After the end of WWII in 1945, the majority of Europe was in ruins; over a third of the European industry was destroyed by the war, resulting in weak economies, and millions of people unemployed and starving, causing low morale. As economies were not improving at a rapid enough pace, combined with high unemployment and a hungry population, people started to look for change. Communism began to look promising, and was becoming increasingly popular in Europe through rebels and partisans. In an attempt confine the spread of Communism, Marshall was sent to Moscow to negotiate with Stalin. Initially, Stalin welcomed the possibility of Soviet participation in a U.S funded European reconstruction program. However, Stalin opposed the “idea of a coordinated multilateral aid programme, which was seen to threaten the Soviet political and economic position in Eastern Europe”, and withdrew all support and insisted that

“The originally propagated view that the Marshall Plan was an altruistic endeavour … has long been dismissed.” Instead, “The overwhelming body of literature looks at the Marshall Plan either from a political and diplomatic or from an economic viewpoint.” Overall, the Plan was primarily motivated by the former, rather, than the later, albeit both were heavily intertwined. This is because containment and a fear of Soviet expansion categorised US foreign policy for much of the postwar period, with economic considerations being the method used, to enact this policy of containment.

The plan would create and make stronger allies, it would also rebuild war-torn countries from World War Two. The Marshall Plan is a part of the Truman administration. It distributed over thirteen billion dollars to Western Europe in three years. Western Europe needed to be rebuilt so that it was

Douglas MacArthur was an American general who commanded the Southwest Pacific in World War II and was responsible for the successful Allied occupation of Japan and led United Nations forces in the Korean War. Through great leadership and much controversy, MacArthur changed the course of history for the U.S. and many other countries. He is considered one of the most important generals in the history of the U.S. because his way of being influenced generations of generals to come. From birth until death he was devoted to the U.S. army and lived a life devoted to helping our nation.

General Washington’s role as a visionary leader during the Revolutionary War was defined and prepared by the combination of his characteristics. The visionary leader, first of all, has very clear encompassing and far-reaching vision in regard to the cause or organization involved. It includes ideas and goals that can take a long time to realize them and bypass the difficulties which the leader encounters. When the American Revolution War broke out, General Washington was chosen as Commander-in-Chief, commissioned to pull together the various militias of the rebelling colonies into a cohesive force. According to “Washington The Indispensable Man” written by James Thomas Flexner, “[Washington] demonstrated again and again his conviction that

George C. Marshall was one of the best generals we had ever had! Here are some facts that aren’t just about his war victories or even acts. He was born December 31, 1880 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He was a Civil Engineering major. He graduated 15th of 34 in the Class of 01. That is 1901 not 2001 if so he would be super old. George married Elizabeth Coles. George was an honor graduate of the Infantry Cavalry School in 1907. He graduated first in his class from Army Staff College in 1908, which was in Kansas. George was promoted to a First Lieutenant. He was an Instructor in the Department of Military Engineering at Fort Leavenworth Army Service Schools. He worked with various National Guard units in the summers of 1907 to 1911. His assignments was with the 24th Infantry Madison Barracks, New York. He was with the Organized Militia of Massachusetts and with the 4th Infantry at Fort Logan. He was one of the leaders of Duty with the 13th Infantry. George was Chief of Staff of Field Detachment 1 on maneuvers, Aide de Camp to Brigadier General Hunter Liggett at Fort William McKinley and Headquartered in the Philippine. He helped a lot of soldiers and saved a lot of men through his time when he was serving. He showed his men respect and they showed him it back. That is why they believed in him and they fought as a one to win the war. He severed his country good he made sure that everyone was treated well and that we all fought for our country how we should. George

Famine and unemployment, coupled with the near destruction of the continent’s infrastructure left Europe on the brink of economic collapse and starvation. America began supplying financial aid to Europe immediately after the end of the war, George C. Marshall developed the first piece of foreign policy that would serve to not only assist in the rebuilding of Europe, but also counter the growing communist influence on the continent. “Marshall was convinced the key to restoration of political stability lay in the revitalization of national economies. Further he saw political stability in Western Europe as a key to blunting the advances of communism in that region.” http://marshallfoundation.org/marshall/the-marshall-plan/history-marshall-plan/

In June 1947, the United States announced the Marshall Plan, intended to help economic recovery in Europe and thus prevent the spread of Communism in a Europe that was increasingly becoming “a breeding ground of hate”, thus providing a comforting environment for the rise of the Marxist ideology. At first, the Marshall Plan seemed to be a success, with economic aid worth $17 billion being made available to Europe and ensuring the protection of democratic governments in Turkey and Greece. Marshall Aid did help economic recovery in Europe, erasing unemployment and improving living standards greatly. Most Western European nations were happy to accept American aid in order to redevelop their economies. However, Stalin forbade any Eastern European countries from accepting the Plan and setup organizations like the Cominform and Comecon instead, to further tighten Stalin’s grip over Eastern Europe.

Winston Churchill undoubtedly came the closest in describing Marshall 's importance in the war effort when Churchill cabled Washington late in the war: "He is the true ‘organizer of victory’” (Ellwood, 2006). In 1939, Gen Marshall became the Chief of Staff