- In 1947, after many years of war, Europe was weakened and ruined. It cannot rebuild damaged infrastructure without help.
- Two nations emerged as the great victors of the Second World War:the United States on one side and the USSR on the other. Everyone is trying to impose their ideology (system of thought) on European countries. The reconstruction of the continent then becomes an issue of domination.
- Greece, in the midst of a civil war, is torn between communists and liberals. Americans are worried about the influence of the USSR in this country. They then decide to offer financial aid to European countries to ensure the support of European nations.
June 5, 1947 - April 16, 1948
Characters
Harry Truman
George C. Marshall
Joseph Stalin
Procedure
- June 5, 1947:President Harry Truman's Secretary of State, General George C. Marshall, announces a program for European reconstruction.
Consequences
- 16 European countries accept aid from the Marshall Plan:Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.
- April 16, 1948:these 16 countries organize themselves to receive American aid and create the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC).
- In 1949, the German Federal Republic (FRG) joined them.
- Stalin's USSR and the Central European states occupied by the Red Army reject the Marshall Plan and entry into the OEEC. On January 25, 1949, they created their own organization:the Mutual Economic Aid Council.
- In total, the Marshall Plan brought together 13 billion dollars between 1947 and 1951.
- France and Great Britain are the main beneficiaries, together accounting for almost 49% of aid.
- In 1961, the OEEC became the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development).
- This rapprochement between European nations to receive American aid promotes European construction.