WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -On April 3, 1948, President Truman signed the Economic Recovery Act of 1948. It became known as the Marshall Plan, named for Secretary of State George Marshall, who in 1947 proposed that the United States provide economic assistance to restore the economic infrastructure of postwar Europe.

Detailed explanation-2: -The plan had two major aims: to prevent the spread of communism in Western Europe and to stabilize the international order in a way favorable to the development of political democracy and free-market economies. European reaction to Marshall’s speech was quick and positive.

Detailed explanation-3: -These objectives included the expansion of European agricultural and industrial production, restoring a system of sound currencies, budgets, and finances in individual European countries, and encouraging international trade among European countries and between Europe and the rest of the world.