ABSTRACT
On the political side, the cold war had begun in 1946, and great anxiety was generated by Soviet avidity in Central and Eastern Europe while the United Kingdom had to inform the US that it could no longer afford to provide aid to the Greek government beleaguered by communist insurgents. An invitation to the Harvard Commencement Exercises for 5 June 1947 provided General George C. Marshall with an appropriate opportunity to launch an important appeal. It was in the spring of 1947 that the fundamental motivations and principles of what was to become the Marshall Plan took shape. The assessment of the economic impact of the Marshall Plan has at least two essential dimensions: the impact of the generous transfer of resources involved and the impact on trade liberalization and European integration. Membership presupposes the candidate's ability to take on the obligations of membership including adherence to the aims of political, economic, and monetary union.
