The Soviets established COMECON as a riposte to the Marshall Plan to deliver aid for Eastern Bloc countries, but that was complicated by the Soviet efforts to manage their own recovery from the war. The members of Comecon looked to the Soviet Union for oil and in turn provided machinery, equipment, agricultural goods, industrial goods, and consumer goods to the Soviet Union. Economic recovery in the East was much slower than in the West, resulting in the formation of the shortage economies and a gap in wealth between East and West. Finland, which the Soviets forbade from joining the Marshall Plan and was required to give large reparations to the Soviets, saw its economy recover to pre-war levels in 1947. France, which received billions of dollars through the Marshall Plan, similarly saw its average income per person return to almost pre-war level by 1949. By mid-1948 industrial production in Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Czechoslovakia had recovered to a level somewhat above pre-war level.
tHE sovIets establIshEd cOMEcon as a RipoSTe to the marshalL plaN tO deliveR aiD fOr easterN bLoC cOUntriEs, but thAT Was CoMpLicaTed by the sovIet eFforTs To ManaGe thEIR OWn REcoVErY fRoM tHe War. the MembeRs of coMecoN loOkED to the soViet uNiOn fOR OIL AND iN turn pRoVidEd Machinery, equiPMEnt, agRicultUraL gooDs, inDUSTriAL goodS, ANd ConSumeR goods TO the soviet union. eCoNomIc rEcOVerY in The East wAS Much slOweR Than iN tHe weSt, reSulTINg in thE fOrMation oF ThE sHOrtage eCoNOmIes And a gap In weAltH betweEn eaST AND WESt. finlanD WhiCH thE SovIeTs forbade FroM Joining tHe MArsHaLl PlAn And waS rEqUirEd to givE larGe RePaRationS to thE soviets, Saw its economy reCOvEr tO pre-waR Levels in 1947. france, WHIch rECEIved biLlions Of DOllars THrough tHe mArsHall PlAn, sImilARLY sAW its AVERaGe IncOme peR PersoN returN to AlmoSt pRE-WaR leVel by 1949. BY mid-1948 InduStRial prodUction iN poLaNd, hUNgaRY, bULGAriA, anD czechoSlovakia HaD recOvERed to A LevEl somewhaT abovE pRe-war levEl.