The Unfortunate Legacy Of The Marshall Plan

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

Besides, it was all very necessary after the depression of the 1890s; people sought to find a route for recovery and “…strong majority agreed that foreign policy could and should play an important – if not crucial – part… in forestalling future difficulties… explained the depression and social unrest as the result of not having enough markets for their specific product… an outlet for surplus stocks becomes an imperative necessity” (Williams 30). This engendered the Open Door Policy which “was in fact a brilliant strategic stroke which led to the gradual extension of American economic and political power throughout the world” (Williams 45-6). But not all historians agreed with Williams for Schlesinger attacks Williams concerning his ideas on the Open Door Policy. “[T]his zeal for foreign trade and for territorial expansion predated the general agricultural surplus....[A]fter the Civil War, the passion to promote trade and exports subsided, instead of intensifying as it should have done according to the Open Door thesis” (Schlesinger 132). He satirically criticizes Williams’ economic reasoning by saying, “vast new markets in the solar system” (Schlesinger 149) and furthermore, firmly states “the American empire was produced not by the economic system...but by the political

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

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 source in question is an extract from the United States Secretary of State George C. Marshall’s commencement speech for receiving an honorary degree from Harvard University; it was delivered on the 5th of June, 1947 at Harvard University.

After WWII, much of Europe was left in ruins and millions of people were left homeless and jobless. Soon, however, America stepped in and helped begin the recovery process or better known as the Marshall Plan. This plan included $12 billion in food, equipment and services for both Western Europe and Japan. “Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos. Its purpose should be the revival of a working economy in the world so as to permit the emergence of political and social conditions in which free institutions can exist.”(George C. Marshall, An American Plan to rebuild a shattered Europe)

“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

In any case, the Marshall Plan additionally supported the U.S. economy in light of the fact that the taking an interest European countries spent the vast majority of the dollars to purchase American items and Europe 's financial recuperation made new markets and open doors for American venture.

* Marshall pledged the U.S. to contribute billions of dollars to finance the economic recovery of Europe.

Additionally, with The Marshall Plan it is similar to The Truman Doctrine, except it is supposed to help Europe financially and economically, instead of Greece and Turkey. George C. Marshall was concerned that “economic instability in Europe would lead to the triumph of communism.” (Winkler, pg. 21). In episode, ten of Allegiance Natalie and her boyfriend Victor move to Canada to get away, but “Rezident is hell-bent on hunting them down. He’s uncovered several encrypted money transfers from Victor’s account to a bank in Newfoundland – he’s been planning his escape for years.” (NBC Recaps). This would not cause economic instability, but Rezident is using wire transfers to hunt down Natalie and Victor because they are trying to get away from SVR. Business in the United States was doing well and the businesses were “sympathetic to a program of assistance that might create added markets overseas.” (Winkler, pg. 21). This can help distribute influence needed to help prevent the spread of Communism and promote Capitalism. Businessmen in America also “needed more customers to avert the kind of downturn that had occurred after World War 1.” (Winkler, pg. 21). A difficulty that the Congressmen had with getting all of America on board and agreeing to this plan was the “…very mass of facts presented to the public and radio make it extremely difficult for the man in the street to reach a clear appraisement [appraisal] of the situation.” (Winkler, pg. 22). Something that Lenin did not

World War Two was a terrible war that caused over 80 million people to die. Germany would be divided into four zones, controlled by The Soviet Union, Britain, The United States and France. Peace treaties would be created among the countries involved in the war. Countries that fought with Hitler would lose land and pay heavy expenses to the Allied powers. Many Nazi Leaders would be sentenced to death. But, what would be established to prevent a war like this from happening again? What would be done to create lasting peace amongst the countries? The Marshall Plan, The Truman Doctrine and The Rebuilding of Japan all contributed to maintaining peace and helped rebuild countries affected by war .

But to understand the Marshall Plan, one must first examine the Truman Doctrine, which experts and historians have regarded as the basis for the Marshall Plan. Since 1944, the British government had been providing economic as well as military aid to Greece and Turkey to prevent a left-wing insurgency by communists. Aid such as this was also provided to prevent the Soviet Union from expanding its “Iron Curtain” into Greece and Turkey. Unfortunately for Britain, the ravages of World War II prevented them to continue to support Greece and Turkey (Herring, 2008, 614). So when Britain informed the U.S. State Department that it could no longer offer aid to Greece and Turkey, the United States did not hesitate to act. That is because there was fear

In 1947, The U.S. Secretary of state, George C. Marshall, revealed a Plan to “save” war-savaged Europe. The Marshall Plan is often remembered as one of the greatest successes in American Foreign policy, some even crediting Europe’s economic boom in the 1950’s solely on it; however historians have hotly debated the Marshall Plan since the 1980’s, both criticizing and praising its purpose, implementation, and outcome. Particular focus has been on America’s influence in Western Europe, and its intentions both politically and economically. Historians in early years described the Plan as embodying American altruism, but revisionists have argued against this, showing that the Plan was as beneficial, if not more so, for the United States’ economy,

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.