Question

Why was the United States motivated to launch the Marshall Plan immediately following World War II?

Answer 1

Europe had to be rebuilt

Explanation:

The Marshall Plan was launched in 1947 in order to rebuild Europe. It made European countries financially dependent on the United States and made them vassals to a certain extent. Cultural hegemony(imortation of the American way of life) also started with the Marshall Plan for instance with the Blum-Byrnes agreement between a French representative and an American secretary of state.

Answer 2

The US launched the Marshall Plan to avoid the mistakes made after world war I and to prevent the spread of communism.

Explanation:

After World War I the treaties punished Germany, and Austria. The economic depression that resulted from the war and the treaties one was one of the main causes of World War II.

The United States did not want to repeat the mistakes of the first war and have to fight world war III. The United States feared that after World War II a similar depression would harm the economies of Europe leading to poverty and social disruption.

The United States also feared the spread of Communism under the conditions of ecumenic depression. The Communist parties were very strong in France, Greece, and the Balkans. Yugoslavia had already become a Communistic state. Eastern Europe had fallen under Communistic Control. the Marshall plan was launched to prevent an economic collapse that would aid the spread of Communism.

The United States gave 13 billion dollars to Europe in the Marshall Plan. These funds were given in grant funds that did not need to be repaid. In todays funds this is equivalent to 130 billion dollars. This gift of financial aid prevent the collapse of Europe. By 1950 the economies of Western Europe had recovered to pre war levels. Germany instead of continuing to be enemy as happened after World War I became a friend and an allies.

The Marshall Plan prevented the economic collapse of Western Europe. The plan turned enemies into friends, and prevented the spread of communism into Western Europe.