Marshall Plan

Publication: Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History

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COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group, COPYRIGHT 2005 Thomson Gale, a part of the Thomson Corporation

MARSHALL PLAN

Between 1948 and 1951 the European Recovery Program—or as it is commonly called, the Marshall Plan—restored post-war Western Europe's agricultural and industrial productivity by providing nearly $15 billion in U.S. economic assistance. The plan is named after Secretary of State George C. Marshall, who proposed it in a commencement speech at Harvard University on June 5, 1947.

George C. Marshall (1880–1959) gained military recognition in World War I (1914–1918) as the chief tactical officer of the first American division to go into action in France. He was named chief of staff of the U.S. Army in 1939, making him a four star general and the head of the army throughout World War II (1939–1945). During the war, he planned the amphibious invasions of North Africa and of Normandy, France; his achievements were heralded by the leaders of the United States and...

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