The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan (1948–52) was the largest and most successful program of foreign assistance ever undertaken by the U.S. government.The harsh winter of 1946–47 underlined the inability of European countries to achieve a sustained economic recovery from the dislocations and destruction of World War II. Following the proclamation of the Truman Doctrine in March 1947, and the failure of the Moscow Conference that April to reach agreement on German reparations, Secretary of State George C. Marshall came to believe that “The patient is sinking while the doctors deliberate.” American leaders feared that poverty and hunger would make Western European countries vulnerable to Communist appeals. Marshall's speech at Harvard University's commencement in June offered American funding for a cooperative European recovery program, including Germany. Marshall even invited the Soviet Union...
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