The Marshall Plan Audiobook By Benn Steil cover art

The Marshall Plan

Dawn of the Cold War

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The Marshall Plan

By: Benn Steil
Narrated by: Arthur Morey
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“[A] brilliant book…by far the best study yet” (The Wall Street Journal) of the gripping history behind the Marshall Plan and its long-lasting influence on our world.

In the wake of World War II, with Britain’s empire collapsing and Stalin’s on the rise, US officials under new Secretary of State George C. Marshall set out to reconstruct western Europe as a bulwark against communist authoritarianism. Their massive, costly, and ambitious undertaking would confront Europeans and Americans alike with a vision at odds with their history and self-conceptions. In the process, they would drive the creation of NATO, the European Union, and a Western identity that continue to shape world events.

Benn Steil’s “thoroughly researched and well-written account” (USA TODAY) tells the story behind the birth of the Cold War, told with verve, insight, and resonance for today. Focusing on the critical years 1947 to 1949, Benn Steil’s gripping narrative takes us through the seminal episodes marking the collapse of postwar US-Soviet relations—the Prague coup, the Berlin blockade, and the division of Germany. In each case, Stalin’s determination to crush the Marshall Plan and undermine American power in Europe is vividly portrayed. Bringing to bear fascinating new material from American, Russian, German, and other European archives, Steil’s account will forever change how we see the Marshall Plan.

“Trenchant and timely…an ambitious, deeply researched narrative that…provides a fresh perspective on the coming Cold War” (The New York Times Book Review), The Marshall Plan is a polished and masterly work of historical narrative. An instant classic of Cold War literature, it “is a gripping, complex, and critically important story that is told with clarity and precision” (The Christian Science Monitor).

Winner of the 2019 New-York Historical Society Barbara and David Zalaznick Book Prize in American History
Winner of the 2018 American Academy of Diplomacy Douglas Dillon Award
Shortlisted for the 2018 Duff Cooper Prize in Literary Nonfiction
Honorable Mention (runner-up) for the 2019 ASEEES Marshall D. Shulman Prize International Relations Western Europe Public Policy Soviet Union History & Theory Politics & Government Cold War Political Science Economic Diplomacy Russia Stalin Military War United States Self-Determination Socialism Imperialism Americas Capitalism Latin America
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Thorough Research • Detailed Examination • Excellent Narration • Contemporary Relevance • Comprehensive Coverage

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This book offers the definitive history of the most enduringly successful piece of American Foreign Policy. The early portion demonstrates how what is today considered a forgone conclusion as an arduous political coup in Congress by the Truman Administration. The final chapter also offers a terrific summary of its impact on the present.

Definitive History

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A fine and important work... New York Times' review is an excellent summary of the book. Recommended.

Excellent history

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the indepth coverage of all the elements in which was created and implemented and the subsequent aftermath

detail

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Written with incredible insight. The stories take you behind the scenes into the conversations and motives of the players, during a period which shaped the western world as anyone alive knows it. The personalities are both larger than life and very human. The narration is read with understanding and intelligence. Undoubtedly, (and perhaps unwittingly,) the Marshall Plan made America most powerful nation in the world.

Marshall Plan made America most powerful nation

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If you could sum up The Marshall Plan in three words, what would they be?

We knew little

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

How history defines the past and explains the present geo-political aspect of our relationship to Russia and Europe

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

The detailsof the complexity and fragility of the Berlin airlift

History came alive

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