marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was the American program to aid Europe, in which the United States gave economic support to help
rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to prevent the spread of
Soviet Communism. The
plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948. The
goals of the United States were to rebuild a war-devastated region, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, and make
Europe prosperous again.The
term "equivalent of the Marshall Plan" is often used to describe a proposed
large-scale rescue program.
The initiative was
named after Secretary of State George Marshall. The plan had bipartisan support
in Washington, where the Republicans controlled Congress and the Democrats controlled the White House. The Plan
was largely the creation of State Department officials, especially William L. Clayton and George F. Kennan. Marshall spoke of urgent need
to help the European recovery in his address at Harvard University in June 1947.
The reconstruction plan, developed at a meeting of the participating European
states, was established on June 5, 1947. It offered the same aid to the Soviet Union and its allies, but they did not accept it, as to
do so would be to allow a degree of US control over the Communist economies. During
the four years that the plan was operational, U.S. $13 billion in economic and
technical assistance was given to help the recovery of the European countries
that had joined in the Organization for European Economic Co-operation.
This $13 billion was in the context of a U.S. GDP of $258 billion in 1948, and
was on top of $13 billion in American aid to Europe between the end of the war
and the start of the Plan that is counted separately from the Marshall Plan.[
rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to prevent the spread of
Soviet Communism. The
plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948. The
goals of the United States were to rebuild a war-devastated region, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, and make
Europe prosperous again.The
term "equivalent of the Marshall Plan" is often used to describe a proposed
large-scale rescue program.
The initiative was
named after Secretary of State George Marshall. The plan had bipartisan support
in Washington, where the Republicans controlled Congress and the Democrats controlled the White House. The Plan
was largely the creation of State Department officials, especially William L. Clayton and George F. Kennan. Marshall spoke of urgent need
to help the European recovery in his address at Harvard University in June 1947.
The reconstruction plan, developed at a meeting of the participating European
states, was established on June 5, 1947. It offered the same aid to the Soviet Union and its allies, but they did not accept it, as to
do so would be to allow a degree of US control over the Communist economies. During
the four years that the plan was operational, U.S. $13 billion in economic and
technical assistance was given to help the recovery of the European countries
that had joined in the Organization for European Economic Co-operation.
This $13 billion was in the context of a U.S. GDP of $258 billion in 1948, and
was on top of $13 billion in American aid to Europe between the end of the war
and the start of the Plan that is counted separately from the Marshall Plan.[