WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The Marshall Plan, also known as the European Recovery Program, was a U.S. program providing aid to Western Europe following the devastation of World War II. It was enacted in 1948 and provided more than $15 billion to help finance rebuilding efforts on the continent. The brainchild of U.S. Secretary of State George C.

Detailed explanation-2: -This aid provided much needed capital and materials that enabled Europeans to rebuild the continent’s economy. For the United States, the Marshall Plan provided markets for American goods, created reliable trading partners, and supported the development of stable democratic governments in Western Europe.

Detailed explanation-3: -Historians have generally agreed that the Marshall Plan contributed to reviving the Western European economies by controlling inflation, reviving trade and restoring production. It also helped rebuild infrastructure through the local currency counterpart funds.

Detailed explanation-4: -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-5: -The State Department proposed the policy of containment, known as the Truman Doctrine. In places where communism threatened to expand, American aid might prevent a takeover. This policy enabled the United States to contain communism within its current borders. The war left most of Western Europe in dire need.