The Marshall Plan: America’s Economic Weapon

Americans foresaw the battle with global communism as soon as World War Two ended. The Second World War had left many European nations economically and physically devastated either from Nazi occupation or fierce military action. The United States government felt that these conditions were breeding grounds for the spread of communism. But America did not respond to the threat with military action, instead it employed a new weapon in foreign policy, economic aid. The Marshall Plan laid the groundwork for foreign aid as a key element in foreign policy. This tactic would be used throughout the Cold War and was probably one of the factors responsible for keeping the war “cold.” The Marshall Plan was the one most successful foreign policy strategies in the history of our nation, and it all began with General Marshall stepping up to the podium one summer day.
General George Marshall delivered his idea of a European recovery program in a speech at Harvard University on June 5, 1947. 1 The...