📖 Book Introduction (English)

The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War by Benn Steil is a masterful account of America’s bold effort to rebuild Europe in the aftermath of World War II. Faced with devastation, communist expansion, and Stalin’s ambitions in Eastern Europe, U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall launched a massive recovery program that reshaped the political and economic landscape of the West.

Covering the pivotal years from 1947 to 1949, Steil vividly recounts events such as the Prague coup, the Berlin blockade, and the division of Germany, while highlighting Stalin’s attempts to crush the Marshall Plan. Drawing on archives from the United States, Russia, Germany, and across Europe, the book reveals how more than $13 billion in aid was distributed to 17 nations, laying the foundation for NATO, the European Union, and a new Western identity.

Written with clarity and insight, this polished historical narrative explores the personalities, politics, and economic strategies behind one of the most ambitious international projects of the 20th century. Both specialists and general readers will find in it a gripping story of diplomacy, rivalry, and the birth of the Cold War.