What was the Marshall Plan?

The Marshall Plan is also called the European Recovery
Plan. It was enacted by the US in 1947 as a way to help rebuild Europe after World War
II. The genius behind the plan was George Marshall, who was at the time the US Secretary
of State. William Clayton and George Kennan are also credited with writing the majority
of the Marshall Plan.

Though part of the Marshall Plan was
meant to help the badly damaged Europe recover from WWII, the other part of the Marshall
Plan was meant to prevent communism from gaining a stronghold in war torn countries.
Certain countries either refused aid or received very little aid. Japan, for example,
did not receive aid. Aid was offered to the USSR but was
refused.

West Germany received some aid under the Marshall
Plan. The UK and France received the most aid, over 200 million each. Other countries
receiving funds for reconstruction were Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Iceland,
Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey. For the most
part these countries represented the allied relationships formed during WWII. However,
some countries, like Italy, were part of the Axis forces during the
war.