Thread: Marshall Plan

Marshall Plan

The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative to aid Western Europe, in which the United States gave over $12 billion[1] (approximately $120 billion in current dollar value as of June 2016) in economic support to help rebuild Western European economies after the end of World War II. The plan was in operation for four years beginning April 8, 1948. The goals of the United States were to rebuild war-devastated regions, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, make Europe prosperous once more, and prevent the spread of communism.[2] The Marshall Plan required a lessening of interstate barriers, a dropping of many regulations, and encouraged an increase in productivity, labour union membership, as well as the adoption of modern business procedures.[3]

The Marshall Plan aid was divided amongst the participant states roughly on a per capita basis. A larger amount was given to the major industrial powers, as the prevailing opinion was that their resuscitation was essential for general European revival. Somewhat more aid per capita was also directed towards the Allied nations, with less for those that had been part of the Axis or remained neutral. The largest recipient of Marshall Plan money was the United Kingdom (receiving about 26% of the total), followed by France (18%) and West Germany (11%). Some 18 European countries received Plan benefits.[4] Although offered participation, the Soviet Union refused Plan benefits, and also blocked benefits to Eastern Bloc countries, such as East Germany and Poland. The United States provided similar aid programs in Asia, but they were not called "Marshall Plan".

The initiative is named after Secretary of State George Marshall, who also served as the United States Army Chief of staff during WWII. The plan had bipartisan support in Washington, where the Republicans controlled Congress and the Democrats controlled the White House with Harry S. Truman as president. The Plan was largely the creation of State Department officials, especially William L. Clayton and George F. Kennan, with help from the Brookings Institution, as requested by Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.[5] Marshall spoke of an urgent need to help the European recovery in his address at Harvard University in June 1947.[2] The purpose of the Marshall Plan was to aid in the economic recovery of nations after WWII as well as to antagonize the Soviet Union. In order to combat the effects of the Marshall Plan, the USSR developed its own economic plan, known as the Molotov Plan. Though it was not as effective as the Marshall Plan, and in some ways contradictory to eastern block countries that served alongside the axis powers in WWII.[6]

The phrase "equivalent of the Marshall Plan" is often used to describe a proposed large-scale economic rescue program.[7]

Cont. in link

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Plan

I've mentioned it a few times in my posts on Russia, but I wanted to add to our forum the link to the Marshall Plan. I posted an excerpt to underscore a point I make about Russia. The rest of the article is well worth the read, and important it seems to me, as we look forward with the possibility of a new improved friendly relationship with Russia.

Russia not only had the largest casualties during WWII, it refused any financial assistance from the United States, went it alone on its own, with the same for the "Eastern bloc" countries. China and the Asian countries were given a lot of money by the United States after the war, but separately from the Marshall Plan.

What made me think about this specifically, was watching the cool reception of the European Union in response to Vice President's speech at this national security forum in Munich because he delivered Trump's message to them that they need to honor their agreements and pay their fair share of the cost of NATO.

Trump is absolutely 100% correct on NATO and Russia. NATO countries need to pay up and the United States needs to make friends with Russia. The EU and the McCains and Graham's of the US Senate, are like a high school clique and a bunch of gossip girls. You want to pick on Russia because they're a little different. You want to pick on Trump because he doesn't approve of the clique against Russia.

Every single one of these countries owes its very existence to the United States and Russia.

Winston Churchill once said of the US:

"You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing, after all other options have been exhausted." -- Winston Churchill

Yes, that's so true. And it's time for the United States to do the right thing with regards to Russia and the Russian people. It's time to treat Russia as the ole Ally they really are and establish normal diplomatic and trade relations with this country the entire world owes so much, yet asked for nothing in return.

Shame on you ungrateful globalist-socialist snots leading Europe. Shame on you. The people of your countries know better, they are seeing you for what you are, and that's why you're so "worried". You aren't worried about the United States or Russia, you're worried that your con game on your own people to take their countries away from them is being exposed. Shame on you TWICE.

And beware, the Queen of England is entering the Tweet business. She knows what's going on. She understands who is who and what is what. She was there during WWII when the rest of you weren't even born yet.

Trump's got this, so everyone in our government needs to sit down and wait for orders. Trump's not only going to fix our country, he's going to fix the kinks in the world that cost US money, jobs and real national security.