Can the Marshall Plan become a model for Ukraine’s recovery?

The Marshall Plan, which helped eliminate Europe ruins behind The Second World Warreaches its 75th anniversary, considered in USA as a model for the reconstruction of war-torn countries and a source of inspiration for the future of Ukraine.

On April 3, 1948, the then President, Harry S. Truman(1945-1953) signed a law approved by Congress a few days earlier under the official title “European recovery plan“And it became known as the Marshall Plan by then Secretary of State George Marshall, his chief propagandist.

With this initiative, USA gave 13 billion dollars in aid of sixteen European countries from 1948 to 1951, a period in which these countries recovered and surpassed, except Germanythe economic level they enjoyed before The Second World War.

TO Truman And MarshallHowever, they were not driven by a special philanthropic desire. They both feared that a war-torn Europe, the droughts that followed, and the terrible winter of 1946 might be followed by chaos, or worse, communism.

Over time, the plan was recognized as successful not only for the prosperity of Europe, but also for the strengthening of transatlantic ties, and is even considered to have contributed to the strengthening or creation of institutions such as NATO, the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund.

Problems

However, there were many challenges in creating it, some of which are similar to those currently facing those now calling for a Marshall Plan for Ukraine, Vanderbilt University history professor Thomas Schwartz explains to EFE.

The first stumbling block was some layers of the Republican Party, which, as now Ukraineopposed to spending millions of dollars on reconstruction of europe.

However, says Schwartz, the plan was eventually approved because, among other things, Truman had the audacity to name it the Marshall Plan, after the Secretary of State, who at the time was much more popular in Congress than the president himself. .

The second major obstacle was the unification of Europe, since some of the peoples occupied or destroyed by Germany during the Second World War opposed its participation.

Despite the war wounds, the countries concerned agreed to Germany’s participation and, at the landmark Paris Conference in 1947, managed to decide exactly how the Marshall Plan would work once the funds were approved.

Although aid was initially offered to countries in the Soviet orbit, Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov rejected it, calling the initiative economic imperialism.

The Soviet Union then independently created the Molotov Plan, named after the person in charge of foreign affairs, and through which the two Cold War blocs materialized.

Laying the foundations of the world order for the next decades, the Marshall Plan became a recurring historical analogy with various politicians around the world advocating similar initiatives to rebuild countries or regions devastated by conflict, famine or natural disasters.

Current situation

Now, due to the destruction in Ukrainethe president of that country Vladimir Zelenskyand other sectors such as the think tank American German Marshall Fund they called for a new Marshall Plan for the G7 nations, specifically Washington and the European Union (EU).

The German Marshall Fund of the US itself, created in 1972 as a tribute to the Marshall Plan, emphasizes that the goal will not only be to help Ukraine recover economically, but also to integrate it into Europe and the transatlantic community, explains one of the promoters of the idea. Jonathan Katz.

Of course, the problem is that any a plan aimed at integrating Ukraine into Europe will have a frontal rejection of Moscow.

Therefore, the future is unpredictable. While preparations have already begun, the Marshall Plan for Ukraine cannot be implemented until hostilities stop, Robin Quinville of the Wilson Center, a US think tank and 30-year diplomat, told EFE.

It is impossible to know what Europe will be like after the end of the war, according to Quinville, who points out how many European countries changed their attitude towards Russia after the war in Ukraine, with some of them, such as Finland and Sweden, changing their attitude towards Russia. such radical changes as the request to join NATO.

In any case, the task of restoring Ukraine will be enormous. This will cost around $349 billion, although that figure could rise as the war drags on, according to estimates from the Ukrainian government, the European Commission (EC) and the World Bank.

(As reported by EFE)