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With Britain's empire collapsing and Stalin's ascendant, U.S. 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 thatcontinues to shape world events.This is the story behind the birth of the Cold War, and the U.S.-led liberal global order, told with verve, insight, and resonance for today. Bringing to bear fascinating new material from American, Russian, German, and other European archives, Benn Steil's book will forever change how we see the Marshall Plan.Focusing on the critical years 1947 to 1949, Steil's gripping narrative takes us through the seminal episodes marking the collapse of postwar U.S.-Soviet relations: the Prague coup, the Berlin blockade, and the division of Germany. In each case, Stalin's determination to crush the Marshall Plan and undermine American power in Europe is vividly portrayed. And in a riveting epilogue, Steil shows how the forces which clove Europe in two after the Second World War have reasserted themselves sincethe collapse of the Soviet Union.A polished and masterly work of historical narrative, The Marshall Plan is an instant classic of Cold War literature.
List of contents
- 1: Prologue
- 2: Crisis
- 3: Rupture
- 4: Plan
- 5: Trap
- 6: Unity
- 7: Persuasion
- 8: Sausage
- 9: Subversion
- 10: Passage
- 11: Showdown
- 12: Division
- 13: Success?
- 14: Echoes
- Cast of Characters
- Appendices
- Notes
About the author
Benn Steil is Senior Fellow and Director of International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations. His previous book, the prize-winning
The Battle of Bretton Woods: John Maynard Keynes, Harry Dexter White, and the Making of a New World Order (2014), was called "a triumph of economic and diplomatic history" by the
Financial Times, "a superb history" by the
Wall Street Journal, and "the gold standard on its subject" by the
New York Times.
Summary
With Britain's empire collapsing and Stalin ascendent, U.S. officials set out to reconstruct Western Europe as a bulwark against communist authoritariansim. This is the story of the Marshall Plan and the birth of the Cold War: a gripping account of the seminal episodes marking the post-WWII collapse of U.S.-Soviet relations.
Additional text
The Marshall Plan has become a favorite analogy for policymakers. Yet few know much about it. Finally, Benn Steil provides a readable, authoritative account of what it was, what it did, and what it achieved.
Report
Painstakingly researched and well-written...a resounding success. Financial History
