The Marshall Plan was a project created by the United States with the sole purpose of helping Western Europe economically, with 13 billion dollars being granted by the American nation to rebuild the countries that were devastated by the Second World War.
The objective of the United States with the creation of this plan was to put in optimal conditions those areas that were devastated by the war and in this way eliminate barriers to trade and modernize industry, making the continent more prosperous. This was intended to prevent communism from taking over Europe, since it had great influence in much of the continent.
These aid provided by the US were divided among various countries on a per capita basis, the amounts being greater to the industrial powers. The United Kingdom was the one who had the best benefits with the Marshall Plan, which received 26% of the total credit, followed by France and West Germany with 11%, a total of 18 nations were the beneficiaries of said plan.
This plan was highly criticized given that it did not favor certain parts of the continent in order to favor the entry of American companies and also because of the fear that some nations felt when thinking that they could become dependent states of the United States of America.
This plan bears the name of the former secretary of state George Marshall, one of the greatest generals the American nation has had during the war. In the same way, the initiative was supported by the Republicans and Democrats of that time, thanks to the effectiveness that this term had now, it is used to refer to large-scale economic rescue programs.
