German History Paper

ADENAUER AND POST-WAR GERMANY 0

German

Lesson 6

Adenauer and Post-War Germany

Details of the Marshall Plan and the Morgenthau Plan

The Marshall plan was an initiative implemented after the Second World War. The primary goal of the plan was to revive economies and also to strengthen democracies of Western and Southern European countries which were destroyed and devastated during World War II. The Marshall plan was implemented in 1948 by George Marshall and was officially referred to as the European Recovery Program. The United States highly sponsored the program. The United States of America provided approximately $ 12 billion in support of the plan’s course (Provan, 2000).

Numerous countries were involved in the Marshall Plan. Some of the countries included Italy, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Portugal, United Kingdom, Belgium, Greece, and Denmark among others. The plan can be deemed to be one of the most successful economic recovery plans in European history. Research shows that the countries that participated in the plan benefited immensely as their gross domestic product went up by approximately 15%-25%. It also contributed to the revival of major industries in these countries. Some of those that registered high growth included the steel industry, chemical as well as engineering industries.

Morgenthau plan was established in 1944 by Henry Morgenthau. The primary goal of the plan was to ensure that Germany does not engage in war again. It also intended to withdraw all the support mechanisms that could help the Germany to wage war again. The implication of this was that the Morgenthau initiative was somehow meant to punish the country for having participated in the Second World War (Dietrich, 2002).

Various strategies were used to weaken German so that it does not engage in war gains. To begin with, the Morgenthau plan advocated for the destruction of armament industry and all other industries that strengthened the military. The plan also advocated for the destruction of equipment and industrial plants, especially in Ruhr. The plan also aimed at disarming the Germany army so that it does not spark a fresh fight. Another provision of the Morgenthau plan entailed the partitioning of the Country. According to the plan, it is hard to control a united country and therefore the best option to completely destabilize the country, and its army was by dividing it (Dietrich, 2002).

There are similarities and differences between these two plans. One of the most outstanding similarities of the Marshall and the Morgenthau plan is that they were both supported by the United States. Regarding the Marshall Plan, U.S provided financial assistance to rehabilitate wrecked economies while in the Morgenthau plan, the county’s Secretary of Treasury pushed for the plan and oversaw the demilitarization and destabilization of the Germany military force.

However, the two plans contrast in that the Marshall plan sought to rehabilitate and monitor the recovery of the economies and normalcy of the western European countries. The Morgenthau plan, on the other hand, focused on destroying the Germanic armies so that they do not start another war.

Reasons that led the United States to implement the Marshall Plan

The United States was drive by some factors to implement the Marshall plan. One of the primary reasons that led to the United Sates to implement the Marshall policy was that it was the only stable government after the Second World War. It was the only major power that was intact.

Secondly, the United States was losing so much economically because it did not have any countries it could partner with in trade. The primary reason behind this was because most of the other states’ economies had been destroyed. For instance, Britain was almost being declared bankrupt in 1946 and therefore it could no longer participate in trade agreements (Provan, 2000).

Thirdly, U.S implemented the Marshall plan because it was the was in a better position to encourage productivity, membership into labor unions and also to push for the faster adoption of modern and more effective business procedures.

Repercussions of the decision about the denazification of Germany

Denazification is define as the process through which the ideologies of Nazism were gotten rid of. The United States implemented the Marshall plan so as to revive economies that had been destroyed under the ideologies of Nazism. The introduction of international trade activities was one of the consequences supporting of the Marshall plan regarding denazification. Restoration of peace in the country was also another consequence (Provan, 2000).

How the United States profited from this decision in the post-war period

The United States profited greatly from the decision in the post-war period. Firstly, many countries’ economies that had been devastated due to the war revived. The implication of this was that trade agreements could operate smoothly and therefore the United States benefited.

References

Dietrich, J. (2002). The Morgenthau Plan: Soviet Influence on American Postwar Policy.

York: Algora Pub.

Provan, J. (2000). The Marshall Plan and its consequences. http://www.george-marshall-

society.org/george-c-marshall/the-marshall-plan-and-its-consequences/.