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The Marshall Plan

Dawn of the Cold War

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The Marshall Plan

De: Benn Steil
Narrado por: Arthur Morey
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In the wake of World War II, with Britain's empire collapsing and Stalin's on the rise, US officials under new secretary of state George C. Marshall set out to reconstruct western Europe as a bulwark against communist authoritarianism. Their massive, costly, and ambitious undertaking would confront Europeans and Americans alike with a vision at odds with their history and self-conceptions. In the process, they would drive the creation of NATO, the European Union, and a Western identity that continues to shape world events.

Focusing on the critical years 1947 to 1949, Benn Steil's thrilling account brings to life the seminal episodes marking the collapse of postwar US-Soviet relations - the Prague coup, the Berlin blockade, and the division of Germany. In each case, we understand like never before Stalin's determination to crush the Marshall Plan and undermine American power in Europe.

Given current echoes of the Cold War, as Putin's Russia rattles the world order, the tenuous balance of power and uncertain order of the late 1940s is as relevant as ever. The Marshall Plan provides critical context into understanding today's international landscape. Bringing to bear fascinating new material from American, Russian, German, and other European archives, Steil's account will forever change how we see the Marshall Plan and the birth of the Cold War. A polished and masterly work of historical narrative, this is an instant classic of Cold War literature.

©2018 Benn Steil (P)2018 Simon & Schuster Américas Ciencia Política Diplomacia Economía Estados Unidos Europa Europa Occidental Historia y Teoría Oeste Política Pública Política y Gobierno Relaciones Internacionales Rusia Unión Soviética Guerra fría Stalin Guerra Socialismo Imperialismo Autodeterminación Militar Capitalismo América Latina
Detailed Examination • Well-researched Account • Right Pace • Nuanced View • Thorough History • Valuable Lessons
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This book offers the definitive history of the most enduringly successful piece of American Foreign Policy. The early portion demonstrates how what is today considered a forgone conclusion as an arduous political coup in Congress by the Truman Administration. The final chapter also offers a terrific summary of its impact on the present.

Definitive History

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A fine and important work... New York Times' review is an excellent summary of the book. Recommended.

Excellent history

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This is a really good history of the Marshall Plan and of the post-war era. It is very detailed. The book is a little ponderous in places because of the amount of detail. However, it picks up and ends up being pretty interesting. My advice: Be prepared for the detail, but stick with it!

Very Detailed History

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The Marshall Plan by Benn Stell addresses the traditional view of how Western Europe was saved by the Marshal Plan. Depending one's perspective, either from the United States or Russia, it is the first shot in the Cold War or a response to the first shot. It can be disconcerting to hear actions by the United States described as American Imperialism by the Russians.

While Stell brings out Stalin's desire to use the nation's making up the lands taken by Russians during World War II as cushions against western aggression, one cannot but recall the stories of Moscow is the Third Rome or Marx's vision that World Communism is an inevitability. Stell uses the concern of Soviet expansion into Greece and Turkey, Russian desires for warm water ports and direct access to the Mediterranean since Peter the Great. He does not mention Churchill's dirty agreements, granting Russian spheres of influence, England keeps Greece at the cost of Poland.

Henry Kissinger today and various Truman advisors who created the Marshall Plan warned of Russia's traditional interest and desire for the Ukraine, wanting to if not to outright rule the country, at least the finlandization of Ukraine. Because of the domination of Eastern Europe by Russia, those countries fear or loath Russia and rightfully so, at least from their perspective, want to be a member if NATO. Stell continuing refers to America's proding of former Warsaw Pact nation to join NATO without discussing the desire by those European nations. Because of Russia's paranoia, it has treated the nation's boarding her as subservient, she has created her own enemies. Find a map of Europe in 1910, try to find Poland. There is very little difference between the Romanovs, the Bolshevicks and Putin.

The book looks behind the screen of a plan and an era which brought America out of its traditional isolationism and how xenophobia becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy, much like paranoia. It is well worth a listen.

Russian Xenophobia is a self-fulfilling prophesy.

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Written with incredible insight. The stories take you behind the scenes into the conversations and motives of the players, during a period which shaped the western world as anyone alive knows it. The personalities are both larger than life and very human. The narration is read with understanding and intelligence. Undoubtedly, (and perhaps unwittingly,) the Marshall Plan made America most powerful nation in the world.

Marshall Plan made America most powerful nation

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If you could sum up The Marshall Plan in three words, what would they be?

We knew little

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

How history defines the past and explains the present geo-political aspect of our relationship to Russia and Europe

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

The detailsof the complexity and fragility of the Berlin airlift

History came alive

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I wanted to keep reading, but it became just a morass of complications and personalities. Eventually I felt compelled to move on to something more fun.

Informative and very dry

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I wanted to know more about how Europe was created in the wake of the Second World War. This book should be required reading for everyone regardless of their age or experience. I never realize the significance of the Marshall plan nor the importance the US had in re-creating Europe and its own image and those implications that we are still benefiting from today. It has transformed my personal beliefs and opinions regarding how important it is to not only be engaged but to be moral leaders for the world. #BeTheCityOnTheHill

A must read for everyone

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A must read to understand the roots of today’s Ukrainian conflict with Russia and the need for a grand European strategy to foster a lasting peace.

Excellent, Insightful and Thought Provoking

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Benn Steil’s “The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War” provides a detailed and well-researched account of the Marshall Plan, a U.S. initiative to revive Western Europe after World War II. The book explores not only the plan's development and implementation but also situates it within the larger geopolitical context of the early Cold War, shedding light on the origins of the prolonged conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Steil addresses key questions: What was the Cold War? When did it start? Who started it? Though the U.S. and Soviet Union were allies during World War II, deep-rooted mistrust resurfaced afterward. The Soviets sought large reparations and expanded their influence in Europe, while the U.S. feared that economic collapse in Western Europe would lead to Communist takeovers or draw the U.S. into another war. In 1947, President Truman responded with the "Truman Doctrine," committing the U.S. to assist countries threatened by Communist subversion. Steil argues the Marshall Plan was pivotal, marking the true start of the Cold War.
A 1947 CIA report captured the urgency: "The greatest danger to the security of the United States is the possibility of economic collapse in Western Europe and the consequent accession to power of communist elements." This fear, along with George Marshall's disillusionment after attending Council of Foreign Ministers meetings in Moscow, drove the creation of the plan. Marshall delegated much of the plan's strategic design to key figures like George Kennan and Dean Acheson, with operational details and implementation left to others. An interesting detail for the modern world was that to process all the economic data for each country, the government had to borrow the computer of the Prudential Life Insurance Company.
Steil outlines the U.S.'s diplomatic challenge in overcoming domestic skepticism, gaining bipartisan support from Republicans like Senator Arthur Vandenberg, and uniting European allies like Britain and France, who feared a resurgent Germany and sought reparations. This diplomacy secured Western European cooperation and successfully limited Soviet influence.
Stalin opposed the Marshall Plan, viewing it as a threat to Soviet influence. Although some Eastern European nations considered joining, and the plan was open even to the Soviet Union (a gamble, assuming that Stalin would refuse), Stalin ultimately rejected it, intensifying Cold War tensions. The plan’s success in rebuilding Western Germany’s economy escalated these tensions, leading to the Berlin blockade. This Soviet response solidified the U.S.-Soviet divide and led to Germany's official division.
The formation of NATO was an unintended but vital result of the Marshall Plan. Steil argues that economic recovery alone couldn’t secure Western Europe; military cooperation was essential. Thus, NATO emerged to support the Marshall Plan's economic goals. However, Steil highlights that this "militarization" of containment departed from Kennan’s initial vision, which prioritized political and economic strategies over military ones.
Steil offers a nuanced view of the Marshall Plan's economic impact, noting that its role in Europe’s recovery is difficult to measure precisely. The political success, however, is clear: the plan helped stabilize governments in France and Italy, and the revitalization of West Germany became a cornerstone of European recovery. Steil concludes that the Marshall Plan’s greatest achievement was preventing the spread of Communism in Western Europe by fostering political stability and economic recovery.
In the final chapter, Steil reflects on the long-term consequences of U.S. foreign policy, particularly NATO’s expansion in the post-Cold War era. He critiques Washington’s failure to recall the original purpose of the Marshall Plan when expanding NATO eastward, arguing that the absence of a cohesive political and economic strategy has fueled Russian concerns and contributed to current geopolitical tensions. The lesson, according to Steil, is that "great acts of statesmanship are grounded in realism no less than idealism," a principle that should guide future U.S. foreign policy.
"The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War" by Benn Steil is a thoroughly researched, well-written account of a crucial period in world history. It demonstrates how the Marshall Plan was not only a monumental economic recovery initiative but also a diplomatic masterstroke that reshaped the geopolitical landscape. Steil’s work offers valuable lessons for understanding the Cold War’s origins and its enduring impact on global politics today. The next step could be to use this work to draw parallels between the challenges of the late 20th century and today, to draw up economic and diplomatic strategies for addressing modern threats in Asia, particularly from rising powers like China. Worth reading for an understanding of how strategic thinking and a generous spirit could change the course of history.

Generosity and Strategic Thinking that Made America Great

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