The American Marshall Plan

Running head: ESSAY 1
POST WAR
STUDENT DETAILS
12/28/2019

ESSAY 2
‘The Marshall plan did not start the division of Europe but marked a point of no return’
In United States, 5th of June 1947 was considered as the remarkable history of USA. Thereafter, it
was known as Western world. Almost fifty years before, George C. Marshall (secretary of state)
declared the European Recovery Program in his speech in the graduation class of the Harvard
University. The European Recovery Program announced by George Marshall was known as
Marshall Plan. The plan declared by George Marshall was successful plan. It made exclusive
history in United States. The Marshall plan defined the firm resolution of the government of
USA for underwriting the financial recovery of the European nations harmed by the presently
finished war as well as feared by the probable development of a global socialism. The
Marshall Plan was planned to enhance the financial conditions of the nations of Western Europe
and, at a similar period, to discourage them from implementing communism. This essay will
argue that the Marshall plan did not start the division of Europe, but remarked the point of no
return. In the following parts, aim of Marshall Plan and contribution of the plan is discussed and
examined.
The Marshall Plan is known as the ‘European Recovery Program’. The Marshall Plan was
considered as the USA program that renders assistance to the Western European nations
adopting desolation of a Second World War. The Marshall Plan was passed in year 1948. This
plan was rendered more than 15 billion dollars to render funds to recreate the effort on the
region. This plan (formally the European Recovery Program) was the American initiatives
enacted in 1948 to help the Western European nations, where USA provided more than 12 billion
dollars (approximately 100 billion dollars in 2018 American dollars) in the financial help to

ESSAY 3
recreate the Western European economy after an end of Second World War. The Marshall plan
was the winning plan because it focused on the different objectives to encourage the financial
development of USA. The American investment as well as dollars made the marketplace for
American produced products, assisting to avert the financial recession in the USA after war. It is
a main reason for which this plan is popular plan. Because of this reason, the Marshall Plan is
sometimes known as ‘New Deal for Europe.’ The main aim of the Marshall plan was to establish
the European economies in the mode as to create this simpler to deal1.
This plan was helpful for liberal loan, absolute gift as well as the furnishing of tools of America,
finally amounting to certain thirteen billion dollars (approximately 88.5 billion dollars in the
dollars of present world) tendered to sixteen nations more than 5 years between 1947 and 1952.
In 1948, while Germany became the state, it was involved amongst the receivers or beneficiaries.
It can evident that the Marshall plan was considered as milestone2. However, this was not the
turning point or return point. The huge USA ship of state was previously altering the course.
Prior to two years, the views of residents of United States as well as the government had
reviewed to the Soviet Union as the doctrine ally, still occasionally at the expenditure of Britain.
However, in earlier 1947, Truman management had started to recognize or distinguish the Soviet
Union as the principal opponent of USA in the revolution of international policy, which had not
many precedents in olden times of country. Further, in year 1947, it was remarked by 3
significant occasions. These events include declaration of the Truman principle in March,
promise USA to a defense of Turkey as well as Greece, and declaration of the Marshall plan in
month of June and issuance in July. George F. Kennan was the director of the policy planstaff of
the state department. George F. Kennan described the approach of the Soviet containment. In the
1 Stella Cottrell, The Marshall Plan (USA: Routledge, 2013)
2 Giovanni Farese, The Marshall Plan and the shaping of American strategy (New York: Routledge, 2017)