Anything but Inevitable: How the Marshall Plan Became Possible

Historians typically explain the Marshall Plan (1948-52) as an effect of a bipartisan embrace of liberal internationalism, which became the dominant ideology of US foreign policy. However, predominant accounts downplay interpretive contention, historical contingencies, and counterfactual possibilities that are very much in evidence. There was no bipartisan liberal internationalist consensus immediately after World War II; indeed, there were no liberal internationalists until 1947. The present analysis identifies two interconnected processes behind the Plan: the emergence of a new kind of political actor, the credibly anti-Communist New Deal liberal, and the coalescence of an unlikely coalition of Trumanites, New Dealers, and congressional conservatives. Together, these processes enabled the passage of a large-scale, Keynesian-style spending initiative that excluded Russia, despite the electoral weakness of New Dealers, and the consolidation of liberal internationalist ideology in American foreign policy-with significance for today's era of renewed great power competition.

Automated summary

The Marshall Plan is typically explained as a result of bipartisan embrace of liberal internationalism in US foreign policy. However, this analysis argues that existing accounts overlook interpretive contention, historical contingencies, and counterfactual possibilities. The study identifies two interconnected processes behind the Plan's implementation and emphasizes their significance for the current era of great power competition.