Posted on 02/05/2018 1:19:13 PM PST by GoldenState_Rose
"It is the greatest success in the history of American foreign policy," Mark Stoler, editor of the George C. Marshall Papers in Lexington, Va. "And it plays to the best American instincts — helping those in need.
"In the process, it clearly turned America into the world's superpower. It was the key component of American Cold War strategy. And it was an immediate psychological booster shot to Europe. Marshall's message was: 'Here is a lifeline that you can take advantage of. America is going to be the leader here and accept that mantel of leadership.'"
Georges Bidault, France's prime minister during the plan, said it "prevented the French economy from coming to a standstill. There has never been a finer, more farsighted gesture in history than the Marshall Plan."
Franz Bluecher, vice chancellor of West Germany during the aid avalanche, said, "Without the Marshall Plan we wouldn't have been able to recover."
Specifically, "the Italian government began restoring railroads and building bridges," wrote Prentzas. "The French government began building dams to produce electricity ... and updating the technology in its coal mines. Denmark modernized its steel mills. The Netherlands created additional farmlands through land-reclamation projects. . .. The most celebrated Marshall Plan project in Greece was the restoration of the Corinth Canal."
The governing body of the European Recovery Program closed shop by saying, "Never in human history has so much been spent by so few with such great results."
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
Isn’t that the USSR’s doing?
Indeed. Poland got the “Marshall Stalin” Plan.
Exactly. Ungrateful pr*cks.
The Marshal plan + American military might, just turned Europe into “Weekend and Bernie’s”. Only giving the impression that the place was not dead.
Leave these people to themselves, and Europe only looks for ever more creative ways of mass-murder, chaos, and self-inflicted suicide.
*ping* The comments here are depressing. Look at how self-deprecating so many Americans are of our history.
As usual with Sen, McCarthy, there is a mixture of truths, half-truths, and lies. As an example of the latter, Sen. McCarthy claimed that it was Gen. Marshall who prevented the US Army from reaching Prague before US troops. In fact, the decision was ultimately made by Gen. Eisenhower, reflecting the collective desire of the JCS to end the conflict with Germany as soon as possible in preparation for a projected invasion of Japan. It is only with hindsight that we now know that the resources that could have been used to counter the Soviets in Eastern and Central Europe did not have to be transferred to the Pacific against Japan.
For a thoughtful account of the trade off between military objectives and political goals involved in Eisenhower’s decision, and the potential costs in terms of the lives of American troops, read the Epilogue to this report:
https://books.google.com/books?id=Trda4LmkhdsC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
Yes who needs Marshall when there was Stalin right? HE saved Europe from those pesky fascists. How dare the Americans take credit. Look at Europe now. All those Muslims. Woulda been better the Soviets had control of Paris and Barcelona. Just like they did of Afghanistan in its glory days.
You are such a Putin bot.
“The Cold War Roots of Islamist Terrorism”
https://www.rferl.org/a/soviet-islamist-terrorism-israel-america-disinformation-pacepa/25034290.html
“Putin bot”
Good one!
At leasts its better than “racist,” “homophobe,” or “Islamophobe” or all the other ridiculous slogans and slurs one hears constantly.
“Bot” freshens things up a little.
Stalinist.
Is your gout acting up again?
I’m 30 years old and we stay healthy and fit here in L.A. are you projecting?
Germany produced a 40pf commemorative postage stamp honoring Marshall.
So you don’t even remember the Cold War then?
That’’s your proof,a book review?
.
.
No. My family is from Europe. My great grandfather a diplomat during the War, and the rest of my relatives direct beneficiaries of the Marshall Plan.
Not only were my relatives in Western Europe direct beneficiaries, but I have lived in the former Soviet Union. The opposite side of the Marshall Plan and from whom the plan was meant to be a buffer. They definitely lost out and have still not recovered.
Its basic history more people from the East side of the Berlin Wall tried to escape than the West. And to this day, even with all the anti-Western propaganda about the coming fall of Europe...there is FAR more immigration from East to West than vice versa.
As I just told Mears, my family is European and direct beneficaries of the Marshall Plan to this day.
And I have lived in Russia, and stayed in other former Soviet countries.
Its very clear who won. The Berlin Wall reality, the dividing line of the Marshall Plan still holds true. More people in the East wish they were in the West than vice versa.
And all the sensationalism about Muslim hordes touted by the Putin propaganda machine acts to cover up their own inner, post-Soviet existential insecurities. Russia has faced the most Islamic terrorism of anyone and has the largest Muslim population in Europe and growing.
FTA: Marshall was a Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1953.
Now you can get the peace prize for being a terrorist or supporter of terrorism like Arafat and obama.
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