Title: The Marshall Plan
Headings: The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan
A Post-WWII Economic-Aid Program
Europe: Immediate Post-War Period
Appointment of George Marshall
The Creation of the Marshall Plan
Participating Nations
Legacy of the Marshall Plan

Content: Farms and towns were destroyed, industries bombed, and millions of civilians either killed or maimed. The damage was severe and most countries didn’t have enough resources to help even their own people. The United States, on the other hand, was different. Because of its location a continent away, the United States was the only country that did not suffer major devastation during the war and thus it was to the U.S. that Europe looked for help. From the end of the war in 1945 until the beginning of the Marshall Plan, the U.S. provided $14 million in loans. Then, when Britain announced that it could not continue to support the battle against communism in Greece and Turkey, the United States stepped in to provide military support to those two countries. This was one of the first actions of containment outlined in the Truman Doctrine . However, recovery in Europe was progressing much slower than initially expected by the world community. European countries compose a significant segment of the world economy; therefore, it was feared that the slow recovery would have a ripple effect on the international community.