The United States sought to protect western Europe against inroads by communism by enacting The Marshall Plan of 1947, which provided financial assistance to European economies struggling in the wake of World War II. A primary motive of this assistance was to strengthen the countries to the point when they could resist communist revolutions. Historians say the Marshall Plan was effective, and European economies grew rapidly after the war, as did the economy in the United States. | The United States sought to protect western Europe against inroads by communism by enacting The Marshall Plan of 1947, which provided financial assistance to European economies struggling in the wake of World War II. A primary motive of this assistance was to strengthen the countries to the point when they could resist communist revolutions. Historians say the Marshall Plan was effective, and European economies grew rapidly after the war, as did the economy in the United States. |