The marshall plan: was the Marshall plan successeful? Pretty successful.

The goal was to rebuild Western Europe so that they would not be vulnerable to Communist revolution, and so that they would make good trading partners with the US and would be able to shoulder at least some of the load of defending themselves against possible Soviet military threat. The nations of Western Europe were able to fairly quickly rebuild, creating thriving economies and adequate military forces. On April 3, 1948, President Truman signed the Economic Recovery Act of 1948. It became known as the Marshall Plan, named for Secretary of State George Marshall, who in 1947 proposed that the United States provide economic assistance to restore the economic infrastructure of postwar Europe. When World War II ended in 1945, Europe lay in ruins: its cities were shattered; its economies were devastated; its people faced famine. In the two years after the war, the Soviet Unions control of Eastern Europe and the vulnerability of Western European countries to Soviet expansionism heightened the sense of crisis. To meet this emergency, Secretary of State George Marshall proposed in a speech at Harvard University on June 5, 1947, that European nations create a plan for their economic reconstruction and that the United States provide economic assistance. On December 19, 1947, President Harry Truman sent Congress a message that followed Marshalls ideas to provide economic aid to Europe. Congress overwhelmingly passed the Economic Cooperation Act of 1948, and on April 3, 1948, President Truman signed the act that became known as the Marshall Plan. Over the next four years, Congress appropriated $13.3 billion for European recovery. This aid provided much needed capital and materials that enabled Europeans to rebuild the continents economy. For the United States, the Marshall Plan provided markets for American goods, created reliable trading partners, and supported the development of stable democratic governments in Western Europe. Congresss approval of the Marshall Plan signaled an extension of the bipartisanship of World War II into the postwar years.

The Marshall Plan The Need Europe was devastated by years of conflict during World War II. Millions of people had been killed or wounded. Industrial and residential centers in England, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Belgium and elsewhere lay in ruins. Much of Europe was on the brink of famine as agricultural production had been disrupted by war. Transportation infrastructure was in shambles. The only major power in the world that was not significantly damaged was the United States. Aid to Europe From 1945 through 1947, the United States was already assisting European economic recovery with direct financial aid. Military assistance to Greece and Turkey was being given. The newly formed

United Nations was providing humanitarian assistance. In January 1947, U. S. President Harry Truman appointed George Marshall, the architect of victory during WWII, to be Secretary of State. Writing in his diary on January 8, 1947, Truman said, Marshall is the greatest man of World War II. He managed to get along with Roosevelt, the Congress, Churchill, the Navy and the Joint Chiefs of Staff and he made a grand record in China. When I asked him to [be] my special envoy to China, he merely said, Yes, Mr. President I'll go. No argument only patriotic action. And if any man was entitled to balk and ask for a rest, he was. We'll have a real State Department now. In just a few months, State Department leadership under Marshall with expertise provided by George Kennan, William Clayton and others crafted the Marshall Plan concept, which George Marshall shared with the world in a speech on June 5, 1947 at Harvard. Officially known as the European Recovery Program (ERP), the Marshall Plan was intended to rebuild the economies and spirits of western Europe, primarily. Marshall was convinced the key to restoration of political stability lay in the revitalization of national economies. Further he saw political stability in Western Europe as a key to blunting the advances of communism in that region.

The European Recovery Program Sixteen nations, including Germany, became part of the program and shaped the assistance they required, state by state, with administrative and technical assistance provided through the Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA) of the United States. European nations received nearly $13 billion in aid, which initially resulted in shipments of food, staples, fuel and machinery from the United States and later resulted in investment in industrial capacity in Europe. Marshall Plan funding ended in 1951. Results Marshall Plan nations were assisted greatly in their economic recovery. From 1948 through 1952 European economies grew at an unprecedented rate. Trade relations led to the formation of the North Atlantic alliance. Economic prosperity led by coal and steel industries helped to shape what we know now as the European Union.

it was successful since it prevented the spread of communism in western Europe.It made the
western European countries to regain their faith on capitalism which was nearly lost and also It secured markets for the massive American industrial products which were nearly dumped due to lack of market.Through the Marshall plan US became the leading capitalist power filling the vacuum left by Britain due to its fall.

Consolidation of Communist power (19451948) Even before the Red Army entered Poland, the Soviet Union was pursuing a deliberate strategy to eliminate anti-Communist resistance forces to ensure that Poland would fall under its sphere of influence.[23] In 1943, following the Katyn massacre, Stalin had severed relations with the Polish government-in-exile in London.[24] However, to appease the United States and the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union agreed at the February 1945 Yalta Conference to form a coalition government

composed of the communist Polish Workers' Party, members of the pro-Western Polish government in exile, and members of the Armia Krajowa ("Home Army") resistance movement, as well as to allow for free elections to be held.[4][25] With the beginning of the liberation of Polish territories and the failure of the Armia Krajowa's Operation Tempest in 1944, control over Polish territories passed from the occupying forces of Nazi Germany to the Red Army, and from the Red Army to the Polish Communists, who held the largest influence under the provisional government.[26] Thus from its outset, the Yalta decision favored the Communists, who enjoyed the advantages of Soviet support for their plan of bringing Eastern Europe securely under its influence, as well as control over crucial ministries such as the security services.[25] The Prime Minister of the Polish government-in-exile, Stanisaw Mikoajczyk, resigned his post in 1944 and, along with several other exiled Polish leaders, returned to Poland, where a Provisional Government (Rzd Tymczasowy Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej; RTTP), had been created by the Communist-controlled Polish Committee of National Liberation (Polski Komitet Wyzwolenia Narodowego; PKWN) in Lublin.[4] This government was headed by Socialist Edward OsbkaMorawski, but the Communists held a majority of key posts. Both of these governments were subordinate to the unelected, Communist-controlled parliament, the State National Council (Krajowa Rada Narodowa; KRN), and were not recognized by the increasingly isolated Polish government-in-exile, which had formed its own quasi-parliament, the Council of National Unity (Rada Jednoci Narodowej; RJN).[27] The new Polish Provisional Government of National Unity (Tymczasowy Rzd Jednoci Narodowej; TRJN) as the Polish government was called until the elections of 1947 was finally established on 28 June, with Mikoajczyk as Deputy Prime Minister. The Communist Party's principal rivals were the veterans of the Armia Krajowa movement, along with Mikoajczyk's Polish People's (Peasant) Party (Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe; PSL), and the veterans of the Polish armies which had fought in the West. But at the same time, Soviet-oriented parties, backed by the Soviet Red Army (the Northern Group of Forces would be permanently stationed in Poland)[26] and in control of the security forces, held most of the power, especially in the Polish Workers' Party (Polska Partia Robotnicza; PPR) under Wadysaw Gomuka and Bolesaw Bierut.[21] In the years 1945-1947, about 500,000 Soviet soldiers were stationed in Poland. Between 1945 and 1948, some 150,000 Poles were imprisoned by the Soviet authorities. Many former Home Army members were apprehended and executed.[28] The status of Soviet troops in Poland was not legalized until late 1956, when the Polish-Soviet declaration "On the legal status of Soviet forces temporarily stationed in Poland" was signed.[29] The history of Poland from 1945 to 1989 spans the period of Soviet Communist dominance imposed after the end of World War II over thePeople's Republic of Poland. These years, while featuring many improvements in the standards of living in Poland, were marred by social unrest and economic depression. Near the end of World War II, the advancing Soviet Red Army pushed out the Nazi German forces from occupied Poland. At the insistence of Joseph Stalin, the Yalta Conference sanctioned the formation of a new Polish provisional and pro-Communist coalition government in Moscow, which ignored the Polish government-in-exile based in London. This has been described as a Western

betrayal of Poland on the part of Allied Powers to appease the Soviet leader,[1] and avoid a direct conflict. The Potsdam Agreement of 1945 ratified the westerly shift of Polish borders and approved its new territory between the Oder-Neisse and Curzon lines. Poland, as a result of World War II, for the first time in history became an ethnically homogeneous nation state without prominent minorities due to destruction of indigenous Polish-Jewish population in the Holocaust, the flight and expulsion of Germans in the west, resettlement of Ukrainians in the east, and the repatriation of Poles from Kresy. The new communist government in Warsaw solidified its political power over the next two years, while the Communist Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR) under Bolesaw Bierut gained firm control over the country, which would become part of the postwar Soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe. Following Stalin's death in 1953, a political "thaw" in Eastern Europe caused a more liberal faction of the Polish Communists of Wadysaw Gomuka to gain power. By the mid-1960s, Poland began experiencing increasing economic, as well as political, difficulties. In December 1970, a price hike led to a wave of strikes. The government introduced a new economic program based on large-scale borrowing from the West, which resulted in an immediate rise in living standards and expectations, but the program faltered because of the 1973 oil crisis. In the late 1970s the government of Edward Gierek was finally forced to raise prices, and this led to another wave of public protests. This vicious cycle was finally interrupted by the 1978 election of Karol Wojtya as Pope John Paul II, strengthening the opposition to Communism in Poland. In early August 1980, the wave of strikes led to the founding of the independent trade union "Solidarity" (PolishSolidarno) by electrician Lech Wasa. The growing strength of the opposition led the government of Wojciech Jaruzelski to declaremartial law in December 1981. However, with the reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union, increasing pressure from the West, and continuing unrest, the Communists were forced to negotiate with their opponents. The 1989 Round Table Talks led to Solidarity's participation in the elections of 1989; its candidates' striking victory sparked off a succession of peaceful transitions[citation needed] from Communist rule in Central and Eastern Europe. In 1990, Jaruzelski resigned as the President of the Republic of Poland and was succeeded by Wasa after the December 1990 elections.

The situation of western Europe after the 2ww: Europe after World War Two (1949) The Second World War ended in defeat for the Central Powers of Germany, Italy and Japan at the hands of the Allies. The concerted allied effort gave way to a growing conflict which culminated in the de facto division of the continent by the Iron Curtain. On the one side of the dividing line stood the East Block, a group of nations under Communist or socialist rule and dominated by the Soviet Union. These countries engaged in economic cooperation within the framework of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance and formed a military alliance under the terms of the Warsaw Pact. They were opposed by a group of Western, "capitalist" industrial nations oriented primarily toward the United States, which joined the U.S. and Canada to form the NATO military alliance in 1949. Yugoslavia and Albania remained relatively independent of Soviet influence. As a socialist state, Yugoslavia stood apart from the rest of the East Block and pursued a more open policy toward the West. In addition to other factors, this was made possible by the fact that the country had not been

liberated by the Soviet Army but rather by a partisan army under the command of Josip Tito, who played an instrumental role in promoting the integration of Yugoslavia's diverse nationalities and ethnic groups. The year 1961 witnessed a historic turning point in Albania. In response to Soviet criticism of the "Stalinist" regime under Enver Hoxha, the nation broke off relations with Moscow and turned to the People's Republic of China for support. Albania seceded from the Warsaw Pact in 1968.

Western Europe The political situation in post-war France was characterized by the opposition between the provisional government established by Charles de Gaulle in Algeria in 1944 and the left-wing groups of the former Rsistance. Although De Gaulle succeeded in re-uniting the divided nation by involving these groups in his government, France experienced a series of internal political crises that lasted well into the 1950s. In Great Britain, national political disputes were carried out within the framework of the traditional two-party system. Reforms initiated by the Labour government of Clement Atlee helped alleviate social conflicts. The territorial changes brought about by the war were nowhere as profound as in the country that had caused it: Germany. Divided by the Iron Curtain, the nation was compelled to live with the presence of the Cold War front that ran through the country from north to south. The Federal Republic of Germany was established in the Western sectors, the German Democratic Republic in the East. The German Eastern Territories were lost. Silesia, Poland, Posen, Eastern Pomerania and southern East Prussia went to Poland, northern East Prussia and Knigsberg (Kaliningrad) to the USSR.

Eastern Europe Czechoslovakia was forced to cede the eastern province of Carpatho-Rus to the USSR, but like Austria, was otherwise restored within its pre-war boundaries. Poland had lost territory along its eastern border, but was compensated under the Potsdam Agreement with the former German territories in the West and North. Beginning in the late 1920s, Josef Stalin gained increasing power and influence in the Soviet Union. After eliminating political opponents within his own party, he became the undisputed ruler and proceeded to strengthen his socialist regime by carrying out a reign of terror and promoting rapid industrialization. With political support from Moscow and backed by the victorious Red Army, communist governments progressively came to power in all of the countries of eastern Central Europe beginning in 1944. This process was completed in Poland in 1952, when the democratic parties of government-in-exile were excluded. The London exile groups formed a coalition government with the Communists in Czechoslovakia in 1946. The new government resolved to participate in the Marshall Plan, but retracted its commitment under pressure from the Soviet Union. The Communist Party gained complete power in 1948. The Communist ruled alone in Hungary

after 1952, in Romania after 1948 and in Bulgaria after 1952.

What economic conditions existed in Europe after World War II? Economic disaster and extreme poverty reigned in Europe by the close of World War II in 1945. Industrial production was low, huge numbers of people were unemployed and thousands were homeless. In Germany alone, around 25 percent of all urban housing had been destroyed, and gross domestic product was down by a staggering 70 percent. Millions were starving. Communist parties, encouraged by the poverty and desperation of most European citizens, had become a significant presence in the governments of Italy and France by 1947. Although the United States was somewhat committed to a non-intervention policy, many in the U.S. government predicted that if they did not become involved, the Soviet Union would gain a foothold in European politics through communism's rising popularity. In June of 1947, U.S. Secretary of State George Catlett Marshall revealed an international aid strategy that would support the European economy and undercut Soviet influence in Europe at the same time. This strategy came to be known as the Marshall Plan. He chose to reveal this plan during a speech he was scheduled to give at Harvard upon receiving an honorary doctorate. Speaking to the public and the press first, rather than to Congress or any governmental committee, gave him the advantage of avoiding isolationist politicians and showing Congress a plan that already had popular approval.

In 1948, Congress passed the Economic Assistance Act, which led to the establishment of the Economic Recovery Plan (ERP), better known as the Marshall Plan. Upon signing the bill, President Harry Truman wrote, "Few presidents have had the opportunity to sign legislation of such importance. ... This measure is America's answer to the challenge facing the free world today." Over the course of four years, Congress allocated $13.3 billion to countries in Western Europe. The plan encouraged economic cooperation within Europe, thus creating the conditions for the European Economic Community and, later, the European Union [source: Library of Congress]. Marshall served as Secretary of State until 1949, and then as Secretary of Defense for one year during the Korean War. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. Marshall Plan Implemented to Rebuild European Economies (1947-51): After the war, communism was gaining momentum against capitalism throughout Europe, due to suffering economies and postwar food shortages. To turn the tide, the U.S. also introduced the Marshall Plan to help rebuild allied nations in Europe in order to keep communism at bay, a program which remained in effect for 4 years. The U.S. motivation was to reconstruct international markets it depended upon for trade, especially export trade, as U.S. had developed a massive agricultural and industrial capability. By 1951, every nation but Germany which received aid had grown their respective economies to prewar levels. As part of the plan, tariffs were eliminated, and more capitalistic policies were adopted west of the Soviet Bloc. As a result, Europe experienced unprecedented economic growth after WWII. Germany continued to struggle economically due to punitive measures put into place against it after the war. By the early 1950s, despite encouraging growth, European economies had reached a

point of stagnation. It was determined that an inability to trade with Germany was a major reason. Alleviating penalties resulted in a positive impact for the rest of Western Europe. However, the initial adjustment was to simply reduce penalties, while still imposing manufacturing limits. When all production limits were lifted, Germany and the rest of Western Europe realized a much greater economic surge, since Europe depended on Germany's manufacturing and industrial capabilities. The USSR rejected contributions from the Marshall Plan, due to the conditions that accompanied it, such as allowing U.S. supervision of the participant's economy, and to be part of unified European economy based on free trade. The resulting integration of European nations would set the stage for the European Union in later years. Spain would be the only western nation excluded, as it attempted to rely (unsuccessfully) on self-sufficiency. Spain would recover in the 50s when the embargo was lifted, and it received some U.S. aid dollars. Criticism of the plan includes claims that it helped western nations build militaries more than it helped grow economies. It also contributed to at least some government corruption, since aid dollars are typically used much less efficiently (and honestly) than investment dollars. Japan did not receive any aid, yet its economy grew more rapidly than Europe in the 1950s. Even if such criticisms are true, the plan nonetheless increased U.S. influence in Europe, increasing capitalistic tendencies in countries that had previously been resistant to it, such as France, Italy, and later Spain.