The Mars resounding plan, officially European Recovery Program (short: ERP) was the most important economical reconstruction program of the USA, which benefitted to the Second World War destroyed Western Europe. The program designated after the US Secretary of State and Nobel peace prize carrier of the yearly 1953 George C. Mars-resound (term of office 1947-1949), on whose initiative it decreases/goes back. It was prepared particularly by William L. Clayton and George F. Kennan in the State Department.

For the program there were three reasons: Assistance for the distressed and partial verhungernde population of Europe destroyed by the war, a containment of the communist Soviet Union and the creation of a sales market for American plan was developed at a meeting of the participating European states at the 6.Juni 1947. The Soviet Union and the Eastern European states were invited likewise, to Stalin saw the plan however as danger for the supremacy of the Soviet Union in the Eastern European states, which it wanted to use as safety belts. It forbade therefore the participation to the states under Soviet crew, that also all held themselves. The program began 1947 and took 4 years. In this period the USA carried for the states out of the organization for European Economic CO operation (OEEC) approximately 12.4 billion dollar, correspond to 85 billion euro in the year 2005, at credits, raw materials, food and goods.

When the program ran out, the economy of all participating states, Germany, was excluded more strongly than before the war. Over the next two decades it came into completely Western Europe to a never dagewesenem growth and prosperity. The Mars resounding plan is considered also as the first step for European integration. The establishment of a common institution (the OEEC) was a condition for the fact that tariff barriers were diminished. An intended consequence was the systematic assumption of the American style of leadership in enterprises. In the last years historians analyzed both the reasons and the effectiveness of the Mars resounding plan, with most apply it however still as well and very successfully.

Some it believe now that the advantages of the Mars resounding plan the result of the new laissez-faire politics was actually to stabilize the markets took the liberty by economic growth. Some Americans criticize the plan, since he justified the policy, problems more foreign, to repair failed national economies by money of the USA.

History

The Second World War

21 years after the end of the First World War the Second World War was released by the war of aggression of Hitler Germany on Poland. At the end Germany fought and the other Axis powers against the USA, which Soviet Union and the other allied ones. Acted with the allied ones however more around a purpose alliance, between the communist Soviet Union and the western allied ones with its liberal democracy and free-market economy existed a clear contrast. In that 6 years continuing war were devastated large parts of Europe and several millions humans died. Above all the large industrial cities were destroyed by the bomb attacks, millions became shelterless. By the destruction of the agriculture it came in several parts of Europe to a lack of food, particularly badly was it in the heavy winters 1946 and 1947. The smaller cities and localities in Western Europe had suffered less damage, were however isolated by the substantial destruction of the infrastructure. In their conferences of war the allied ones had tried to agree on the treatment of Germany after the war under it also over the demand of reparations.

Development of Germany and Europe

After the First World War the European and above all German economy had fallen into a recession. The policy at that time to hold Germany by the demand of high reparations from a renewed war had the seizure of power of Hitler, and thus the renewed world war, along-causes. The USA had changed over after the First World War to the isolationism, even if they tried growth in Europe to support and partly in the Reparationsfrage for Germany used themselves.

Michael J. Hogan. The Mars-resound yourself plan pg.30Nach the Second World War was one in Washington united that the crisis should not repeat itself after the First World War. The State Department under Harry S. Truman supported an active foreign policy, met with it at the congress however rather on refusal. At first one hoped that for the reconstruction of Europe it must be done not much and that Great Britain and France succeed with the help of its colonies, a fast reconstruction of their national economies. However there was only small progress, which cold winter had the situation further intensified until 1947. The European national economies at this time still were under their efficiency before beginning of war. They pointed only few indications of a growth, a high unemployment ratio and lack of food led in several states to strikes and unrests. Agricultural production reached 83%, the industrielle production 88%, the exports 59% of the Vorkriegsstandes.

The most urgent problem was the lack of food. Before the war Western Europe had imported food from Eastern Europe, this way was now cut off by the developing iron curtain. The situation was particularly bad in Germany, where each man 1946/1947 could take on the average only insufficient 1800 kilocalories to itself. Alan S. Milward. The Reconstruction OF Western Europe William Clayton reported Washington that "millions of humans slowly verhungern." Gregory A. Fossedal. Our Finest Hour something similar importantly for the fall of the economy was the lack of coal, which by the heavy winter 1946/47, which had been aggravated let hundred Germans erfrieren, again. The humanitarian demand to terminate this condition was a reason for the Mars resounding plan.

The only great power, whose infrastructure had gotten over the war nearly without prejudice to, were the United States. Later than most European states took part in the war and on own territory only little damage had suffered. The American gold reserves were still available, likewise the large agricultural and industrielle production basis. During the war years the country, since it both for the own and the allied ones produced, had the fastest economic growth of its history. After the war the factories changed production over fast to consumer goods, the lack of the war years by a boom with the expenditures for consumer goods were replaced. Nevertheless the long-term development of the economy hung on the trade, in order to secure by the export durable prosperity. With the funds of the Mars resounding plan the Europeans goods and raw materials from the United States could buy.

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