Title: Marshall Plan Definition
Headings: Marshall Plan
Marshall Plan
What Was the Marshall Plan?
Key Takeaways
Understanding the Marshall Plan
History of the Marshall Plan
Examples of the Marshall Plan
Marshall Plan FAQs
How Did the Marshall Plan Generate Economic Growth?
Was the Marshall Plan Successful?
How Did the Marshall Plan Impact the World Bank?
What Was the Molotov Plan?
What Did the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan Have in Common?
Article Sources

Content: The United States was the only major power that had not suffered damage during the war. It made sense that America was the country that should help these other countries rebuild. 1 ﻿ 2 ﻿
The U.S. proposed the Marshall Plan because it was the only country in World War II that had not suffered damage as a result of the fighting. History of the Marshall Plan
Marshall saw communism as a threat to European stability. The Soviet Union’s sphere of influence increased during World War II, and tensions between Eastern and Western Europe intensified. The Soviet Union believed that the Marshall Plan was a way to meddle in the internal affairs of European countries. That belief prevented Soviet satellite countries, such as Poland and Czechoslovakia, from accepting assistance from the United States. It also caused, at least in part, the Soviet Union’s economy to be significantly outpaced by those of Western Europe and the U.S.
The $13 billion plan started with shipments of food and staples to European ports in the Netherlands and France. Tractors, turbines, lathes, and other industrial equipment, plus the fuel to power the machines, arrived soon afterward. Between 1948 and 1951, the billions committed in aid to European countries effectively amounted to 5% of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) at the time.