What exactly was the Marshall Plan?
The Marshall Plan was economic aid from USA to Europe to help rebuild the infrastructure and economy of the continent after WW2.The purpose of the aid was to prevent the spread of Communism in Europe,by showing the population that capitalism could offer more in the way of economic growth and recovery than communism, thus dissuading the people in western Europe from turning to communism as a form of government. The aid was not in the form of money.Instead, individual countries told America what they needed in terms of raw materials and finished manufactures, which were then supplied by American industry. A useful byproduct for USA was that this kept their economy strong, due to full employment to produce the things requested by the European governments.
