The Marshall Plan was an American initiative to aid Europe, in which the United States gave $13 billion in economic support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II. The plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948. The goals of the United States were to rebuild war-devastated regions, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, make Europe prosperous again, and prevent the spread of communism. The plan required a decreasing of interstate barriers, a dropping of many petty regulations constraining business, and encouraged an increase in productivity, labor union membership, as well as the adoption of modern business procedures.
The Marshall Plan aid was divided amongst the participant states roughly
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Making the plan reality required negotiations among the participating nations, and to get the plan through the United States Congress. Sixteen nations met in Paris to determine what form the American aid would take, and how it would be divided. The negotiations were long and complex, with each nation having its own interests. France's major concern was that Germany not be rebuilt to its previous threatening power. The Benelux countries, despite also suffering under the Nazis, had long been closely linked to the German economy and felt their prosperity depended on its revival. The Scandinavian nations, especially Sweden, insisted that their long-standing trading relationships with the Eastern bloc nations not be disrupted and that their neutrality not be overstepped. The United Kingdom insisted on special status as a longstanding belligerent during the war, concerned that if it were treated equally with the devastated continental powers it would receive virtually no aid. The Americans were pushing the importance of free trade and European unity to form a barricade against communism. The Truman administration, represented by William L. Clayton, promised the Europeans that they would be free to structure the plan themselves, but the administration also reminded the Europeans that implementation depended on the plan's passage through Congress. A majority of …show more content…
The Europeans asked for $22 million in aid. President Truman cut this to $17 billion in the bill he put to Congress. The plan encountered sharp opposition in Congress, mostly from the portion of the Republican Party led by Robert A. Taft that was weary of massive government spending. The plan also had opponents on the left, Henry A. Wallace notably among them. Wallace saw the plan as a subsidy for American exporters and sure to polarize the world between East and West. However, opposition against the Marshall Plan was greatly reduced by the shock of the Communist coup in Czechoslovakia in February 1948. Not long after, a bill granting an initial $5 billion passed Congress with strong bipartisan support. Congress would eventually allocate $12.4 billion in aid over the four years of the
Truman gave his iconic Truman Doctrine speech in front of a joint session of congress. This speech outlined the broad strokes of the Truman Doctrine as well as marked the declaration of the Cold War as well as sets the direction of American foreign policy for the next 40 years. Truman used this speech which was broadcast on the radio across the country as a form of going public to help his doctrine pass through congress. The Truman Doctrine finically aided Greece and Turkey in their ongoing war against communism as well as established Truman’s containment policy towards communism. A year later in 1948 when Truman planned to spread a program much like the Truman Doctrine across Europe in the form of the European Recovery Program. Truman knew that due to his high unfavorable rates he would need to use bargaining this time instead of going public to enact his plan. The Marshall plan is born with Truman recruits popular Secretary of State General George C. Marshall to be the face of the plan in order to garner support. While Marshall was the face of the plan Truman worked diligently behind the scenes to garner support for the plan from republicans. The Marshall Plan ultimately passed and in the end sent 13 million dollars in relief funds to Europe to aid in rebuilding from World War II in addition to holding at bay the treat of communism spreading. Truman became a shining example of how going public and bargaining both of there place in the
Following World War II, all of Europe was left in a clutter of disarray. Instead of watching Europe endure the hardships left from the war, the United States went to Europe’s aid. From 1947 to 1952, European nations experienced a time of massive growth. The Marshall Plan called for the nations of Europe to draw up a program for economic and political recovery from the war. The plan was a response to American concerns that communist parties were growing stronger across Europe and that the Soviets might intervene. The Marshall Plan also reflected the belief that US aid for European economic recovery would create strong democracies and open new markets for American goods. After World War II, The European Recovery Program was instrumental in economically
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 most convincing argument why the Marshall Plan was a scheme driven primarily by political, rather than economic
This drove individuals to live in dread over a conceivable war, because of the event of other wars starting in such a way. The United States knew rivaling the USSR would not prevent socialism from spreading. President Truman proposed the Containment Policy. with this arrangement the American Nation would helper individuals who were being compelled to ended up Soviet Satellites or eastern square countries. The arrangement begun with Greece and turkey. At President Truman's proposal they were given 400 million dollars in associate. The nation in which majority rule government started, (Greece), sat tight law based, and also Turkey. Not long after the accomplishment with the Containment arrangement, America's Secretary of state achieved another arrangement, the Marshall Plan. In the Marshall Plan, The United States helped nations, who after the war should have been remade financially, socially, and politically. Marshal said "It's reason for existing is to restore a working economy in the World". He knew socialism appeared to be the main alternative to nations who were shaky. In spite of the fact that 13 billion dollars was put into this arrangement, it was considered cash well spent.
Because so much of Europe had been destroyed during the war, many European countries were heavily in debt to the United States and could not afford to rebuild themselves. The United States was able to contribute more than $13 billion worth of food and other good to Europe. The Marshall Plan, which was the European recovery program, was an American initiative to aid western Europe. The goals of the United States were to rebuild war-devastated regions, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, make Europe prosperous once more and prevent the spread of communism. The Marshall Plan aid was divided amongst the participant states on per capita basis.
After the war most of Europe was destroyed, cities were left in ruins and many factories were hit really hard. Many people didn’t have anywhere to go so they ended up in refugee camps funded by the United Nations. Many transportation routes were hit by airstrike merchant ships were destroyed and many small towns and villages that were not hit hard were isolated due to the airstrikes destroying major road and modes of transportation. The U.S decided to implement the Marshall plan that was officially called the European Recovery Program. This was a plan for the U.S to help aid Europe by giving them economic support so they could start to rebuild the European economies at the end of World War II and to stop the spread of communism. The plan started in April 1948 and lasted for four years. During these years the U.S started to rebuild war torn cities, remove trade obstacles, modernize industry and helped to make Europe self-reliant again.
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/
President Truman created many organizations to help people in Europe that were being ruled by Communists. For example, Senator George Marshall created The Marshall Plan which gave economic and military to European countries. The plan was put into order to hopefully prevent the economic dislocation, which would eventually lead to communism. The outcome of the Marshall Plan was that economies became better which lead to an increase in industrial productions. Also in 1948, the United States flew supplies to Germany for eleven months in response to the
Also, the Marshall Plan, that was endorsed by the Law served as a recovery aid for the Europeans nation that needed it. Because of the Marshall Plan, 16 countries received $13 billion dollars in aid, as well as restoring the
After the end of World War II, some people may have felt safe. However, even before Nazi Germany put its guns down in Germany in 1945, the political giant, and U.S. president, Franklin D. Roosevelt died by illness. The new president, Harry S.Truman, had to face an unstabilized situation and some new challenges. At first, he had to make sure the war criminals were punished during the Nuremberg trials. He helped create the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and financed the remaking of Japan under General Douglas MacArthur. In 1947, Truman developed the Marshall Plan, which offered more than $10 billion for the reconstruction and reindustrialization of Germany (SparkNotes Editors). The Marshall Plan was so successful that manufacturing plants in Western Europe were producing the product equal to prewar numbers within a couple of years. The U.S and the Soviet Union worked together during the World War II, because they had the same interest. Unfortunately, Joseph Stalin, Soviet premier, did not agree with what Truman did above. He wanted Nazi Germany to pay for what they had done in the Second World War, and he destroyed the factories in Germany in order to make sure the German
The Marshall plan was designed for the sole purpose of promoting economic recovery in Europe after the war and as well as trying to prevent soviet communism. This plan was first proposed by George Marshall and Harry Truman followed through with it after several controversial conversations. The Marshall plan took place in 1948-1952. The U.S. were trying to promote European recovery after the depression because majority of Americans were nearly famine. inclusion the Marshall plan was significant to the cold war because it had political influence
George Marshall is the most respected solider in American history due to his supreme leadership abilities. His economic recovery program was known as the Marshall Plan which presented him with Nobel Peace Price in the 1950s. The famous Marshall Plan was an American initiative announced in 1947 that the United States gave approximately 13 billion (130 billion in current dollar value) to Europe to AID. Europe approximately 13 billion dollars (130 billion in current dollar value) to AID Europe. It was to economically support and rebuild European economies after the end of World
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.
Basically a bribe to European countries that were in need of economic health and in return would help stop the spread of communism. The plan also