The Marshall Plan

Dawn of the Cold War

By: Benn Steil

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

In the wake of World War II, with Britain's empire collapsing and Stalin's on the rise, US 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 that continues to shape world events.

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. In each case, we understand like never before Stalin's determination to crush the Marshall Plan and undermine American power in Europe.

Given current echoes of the Cold War, as Putin's Russia rattles the world order, the tenuous balance of power and uncertain order of the late 1940s is as relevant as ever. The Marshall Plan provides critical context into understanding today's international landscape. Bringing to bear fascinating new material from American, Russian, German, and other European archives, Steil's account will forever change how we see the Marshall Plan and the birth of the Cold War. A polished and masterly work of historical narrative, this is an instant classic of Cold War literature.

©2018 Benn Steil (P)2018 Simon & Schuster

Definitive History

This book offers the definitive history of the most enduringly successful piece of American Foreign Policy. The early portion demonstrates how what is today considered a forgone conclusion as an arduous political coup in Congress by the Truman Administration. The final chapter also offers a terrific summary of its impact on the present.

Excellent history

A fine and important work... New York Times' review is an excellent summary of the book. Recommended.

Marshall Plan made America most powerful nation

Written with incredible insight. The stories take you behind the scenes into the conversations and motives of the players, during a period which shaped the western world as anyone alive knows it. The personalities are both larger than life and very human. The narration is read with understanding and intelligence. Undoubtedly, (and perhaps unwittingly,) the Marshall Plan made America most powerful nation in the world.

History came alive

If you could sum up The Marshall Plan in three words, what would they be?

We knew little

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

How history defines the past and explains the present geo-political aspect of our relationship to Russia and Europe

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

The detailsof the complexity and fragility of the Berlin airlift

Informative and very dry

I wanted to keep reading, but it became just a morass of complications and personalities. Eventually I felt compelled to move on to something more fun.

A 20th century history speaks to the 21st century

Benn Steil's admirably detailed and textured examination of this critical Cold War initiative not only brings out the challenges faced by Harry Truman, George Marshall, and their subordinates, as well as their allies and adversaries, but clearly connects the choices that they made to today's controversies. Arthur Morey delivers the text with just the right pace and intonation.

Interesting but slow at times

The Marshall Plan has intrigued me since I began studying the Cold War. This book covers a lot more than just the Marshall Plan, which has good and bed results. Adding the peripheral actions and decisions makes the length a bit daunting, which slowed me down as they were not my key interest. But on the other hand they add to one's overall understanding of the situation. Perhaps Dawn of the Cold War should have been the title and The Marshall Plan the subtitle? Foreign policy, especially with regard to economic implications: sanctions, tariffs, money devaluation, ad nauseam, is a difficult concept for me and there's a fair amount of it in here, again, good and bad. The overall intent of the book seemed to be more about NATO and the EU, and how both have been used/misused strategically against Russia. I learned a lot and could easily reread for better understanding, so the money's not wasted. It's just not always a gripping read.

Great Historic Learning

After reading Truman and Churchill, then listening to Stalin's, biographies this was a great source of information. I feel like I learned more from this than some of my history classes of long ago.

Thorough but conclusions drawn are muddled

Mr. Morey’s account is thorough and engaging. Some of his conclusions however seem a bit confused. At times he seems to set forth that Western Europe could have been stabilized and communist expansion have been prevented only with the Marshal plan, and without NATO, but then goes on to discuss how the Soviet Union was actively plotting the overthrow of western governments. Further he seems to argue that NATO’s expansion may be a cause of conflict with Russia, but then only sights examples of conflict which occur outside of the expanded NATO alliance, which actually supports that NATO expansion should have been more thorough and quicker. He hints that perhaps Russia would not interfere with its neighbors if only NATO would stay away, which goes against everything else in the book which supports that Russia will always attempt to influence and subjugate its neighbors unless a strong and unified force is in place to oppose it.

Detailed but not tedious

Liked the level of detail and storytelling. Though sometimes tedious and monotonous, overall the narration was good.