Such a discussion is necessarily incomplete; but I will leave it to others to comment on the political and diplomatic context in which Marshall aid took place. The contribution of the Marshall Plan – distinguishing fact from fiction Marshall aid was a lifeline from the United States to Europe at a time when, economically, Europe had been brought down to its knees.
Between 1948–1951 the program annually transferred roughly 1% of American GDP, or around $ 13 billion in aid, to some 16 European countries. In net present value terms this amounts to roughly $ 80 billion.