The award-winning author of Battle of Bretton Woods reveals the gripping history behind the Marshall Plan — told with verve, insight, and particular resonance for today.
In the wake of World War II, with Britain’s empire collapsing and Stalin on the rise, US officials under new secretary of state George C. Marshall set out with a plan to reconstruct Western Europe as a bulwark against communist authoritarianism.
Focusing on the critical years 1947 to 1949, Benn Steil’s thrilling account brings to life the seminal episodes marking the collapse of postwar US-Soviet relations — the Prague coup, the Berlin blockade, and the division of Germany, according to a review on goodreads.com.
In each case, we see and understand like never before Stalin’s determination to crush the Marshall Plan and undermine American power in Europe.