Most Noble Adventure: The Marshall Plan and the Time When America Helped Save Europe
From Infonomics
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Book Overview
Mr. Behrman recounts and analyzes one of America's greatest achievements--the Marshall Plan, an initiative to reconstruct WWII-ravaged Europe. Mr. Behrman discusses the origin, resistance, success and conclusion of The Marshall Plan.
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deposited into the government’s central bank and used to pay down national debt or finance industrial modernization.
The Marshall Plan
President Truman named the plan, the Marshall Plan, for two reasons: America invested four years and $13 billion in the Marshall Plan. Responses to the Plan 22 nations agreed to participate in the plan and 14 of them convened in Paris to form the Committee of European Economic Cooperation. The Senate passed the Act with a vote of 69-17 and the House vote was 329-74. President Truman signed the bill into law on April 3, 1948. The American business community contributed greatly to the plan. Goods were paid for with local currency at prices the countries could afford without draining their cash reserves. That currency was then
Stalin Imposes the Berlin Blockade
Stalin, alarmed at the possibilities of a revived Germany, ordered a blockade of Berlin to prevent aid from arriving. America and Great Britain countered Stalin's blockade with the dropping of tons of food, coal, and other vital materials over 120 miles of land occupied by Soviets. Stalin responsed to the airlift by purging anti-communists and oppressing everyone else. Various covert operations went on under the CIA’s Office of Policy Coordination to combat communist activity in the Marshall Plan countries. NATO was also formed as a commitment of military cooperation and coordination between western countries in the fight against communism and to advance integration. The success of these organizations, including the German airlift, resulted in Stalin being forced to lift the blockade and the creation of West Germany; which led to one of the fastest recoveries in all of Europe.
Elements Resultng in the Demise of the Marshall Plan
Discontent in America increased when it was learned that the Soviet’s were outspending America on military efforts and that China was emerging as an additional communist threat. McCarthyism in America also fueled Americans’ fear and their concerns that the U.S. was spending too much time and money on Western Europe. The North Korea threat forced American to shift focus from Western Europe to it's increased military spending. Eventually, the initial elites managing the Marshall Plan were replaced by lesser enthusiastic Americans, who were viewed as overbearing by the Europeans. When American culture began to infiltrate European culture, many Europeans reacted harshly. Members of Congress argued that the Marshall Plan supported socialist and communist governments, draining America of taxpayer funds, and diverting the country’s resources away from fighting communism. The Marshall Plan was finally terminated on December 31, 1951, six months earlier than originally planned.
George Catlett Marshall
In 1939, President FDR selected George Marshall for the position of Chief of Staff of the US Amry. Marshall transformed the United States military into the most dominant fighting force in the world. In 1947, President Truman selected Marshall to serve as Secretary of State. Marshall, along with leaders from Great Britain and France, made several attempts over a 5-week span to work with the Soviets on post-war reparations, peace treaties, border issues, and control of Germany. Stalin, seeking control of Germany, did not cooperative with the West.
The fatalistic JFK, however, refused to insulate himself from the public or take exceptional security precautions.
Author, Greg Behrman
1. Henry Kissinger Fellow for Foreign Policy at The Aspen Institute
2. Author of The Invisible People
3. He has written for Newsweek, the LA Times, and the International Herald Tribune.
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