Editing Marshall Plan (section)

==Opinion==
[[File:Schild Bessere Düngung des Amerikanischen Hilfsprogramms.png|thumb|German sign indicating "agriculture counseling supported by the overseas aid program of the U.S.A."]]
[[J. Bradford DeLong|Bradford DeLong]] and [[Barry Eichengreen]] conclude it was "History's Most Successful Structural Adjustment Program." They state:

<blockquote>It was not large enough to have significantly accelerated recovery by financing investment, aiding the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure, or easing commodity bottlenecks. We argue, however, that the Marshall Plan did play a major role in setting the stage for post-World War II Western Europe's rapid growth. The conditions attached to Marshall Plan aid pushed European political economy in a direction that left its post World War II "mixed economies" with more "market" and less "controls" in the mix.{{sfn|DeLong|Eichengreen|1993|pp=189–230}}</blockquote>

===Domestic campaign for support===
Prior to passing and enacting the Marshall Plan, President Truman and George Marshall started a domestic overhaul of public opinion from coast to coast. The purpose of this campaign was to sway public opinion in their direction and to inform the common person of what the Marshall Plan was and what the plan would ultimately do. They spent months attempting to convince Americans that their cause was just and that they should embrace the higher taxes that would come in the foreseeable future.{{sfn|Machado|2007}} The Great Depression left Americans acutely aware of the psychological and political effects of poverty. Though the Marshall Plan is seen as an act of compassion or sympathy for countries struggling after WWII, it is likely fear of slipping into another depression at home caused the United States to invest in diplomacy and pivot away from another economic calamity.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Weissman |first1=Alexander |title=Pivotal Politics: The Marshall Plan: A Turning Point in Foreign Aid and the Struggle for Democracy. |journal=The History Teacher |date=November 2013 |volume=47 |issue=1 |page=112}}</ref>

A copious amount of propaganda ended up being highly effective in swaying public opinion toward supporting the Marshall Plan. During the nationwide campaign for support, "more than a million pieces of pro-Marshall Plan publications-booklets, leaflets, reprints, and fact sheets", were disseminated.{{sfn|Lukacs|1997}} Truman's and Marshall's efforts proved to be effective. A Gallup Poll taken between the months of July and December 1947 shows the percentage of Americans unaware of the Marshall Plan fell from 51% to 36% nationwide.{{sfn|Machado|2007}} By the time the Marshall Plan was ready to be implemented, there was a general consensus throughout the American public that this was the right policy for both America, and the countries who would be receiving aid.

===Change in American ideology===
During the period leading up to World War II, Americans were highly isolationist, and many called The Marshall Plan a "milestone" for American ideology.{{sfn|Lukacs|1997}} By looking at polling data over time from pre-World War II to post-World War II, one would find that there was a change in public opinion in regards to ideology. Americans swapped their isolationist ideals for a much more global internationalist ideology after World War II.

===Polling data===
In a [[NORC at the University of Chicago|National Opinion Research Center]] (NORC) poll taken in April 1945, a cross-section of Americans were asked, "If our government keeps on sending lendlease materials, which we may not get paid for, to friendly countries for about three years after the war, do you think this will mean more jobs or fewer jobs for most Americans, or won't it make any difference?" 75% said the same or more jobs; 10% said fewer.{{sfn|Cantril |Strunk|1951 |p=414}}

Before proposing anything to Congress in 1947, the Truman administration made an elaborate effort to organize public opinion in favor of the Marshall Plan spending, reaching out to numerous national organizations representing business, labor, farmers, women, and other interest groups. Political scientist Ralph Levering points out that:

<blockquote>Mounting large public relations campaigns and supporting private groups such as the Citizens [[Committee for the Marshall Plan]], the administration carefully built public and bipartisan Congressional support before bringing these measures to a vote.{{sfn|Levering|1978|pp=98–99}}</blockquote>

Public opinion polls in 1947 consistently showed strong support for the Marshall plan among Americans. Furthermore, Gallup polls in England, France, and Italy showed favorable majorities over 60%.{{sfn|Gallup |1972|pp=691, 708–09, 722}}