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The Marshall Plan and Accomplishments of George Marshall Essay

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George C. Marshall was an essential player in the mid twentieth century. His military expertise and planning abilities led us to victory in world war two. The same made the Marshall plan so effective in reviving Europe’s down economy and standard of living. As secretary of state and defense his leadership skills and reputation as an honest man made him the perfect fit for the job. To say the least, George Marshall had a vast influence over this country while he was in power. On September 1st 1939, the same day that Germany invaded Poland, George Marshall was appointed the army chief of staff by president Roosevelt. This promoted him from a one to a four star general. Although this was sudden and dramatic, so was the situation in …show more content…

Fearing the war would go on forever, Marshall came up with a plan to end it. His plan was dubbed operation overlord, or the D-Day invasion of the beaches of Normandy which took place on June 6, 1944. Nine months later, Germany surrendered, bringing peace to Europe. George Marshall truly lived up to being the “architect of victory” that President Truman called him. Following the war, Marshall made a plan to rebuild and restore stability to Europe. Marshall’s European Recovery plan, or the Marshall plan, was all about the aid of self help, not doing everything for them. The initiative to rebuild came from participating countries, not the US. The plan established the Economic Cooperation Administration which provided 13.3 billion dollars to the participating countries. Although Marshall tried to include the Soviet Union in all this, Moscow rejected the plan, thereby excluding them from the arrangement. The objectives were to increase productivity, stimulate economic growth, and to promote trade. All of these goals were realized by December 31, 1951, when the aid ended. The Marshall plan was one of the most successful foreign policy initiatives in United States history, and led to a strong NATO alliance. In order to become the secretary of defense, George Marshall needed a congressional waiver because the National Security Act prohibited anyone who was an active duty military officer

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