The Marshall Plan and Accomplishments of George Marshall

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George C. Marshall was an essential player in the mid twentieth century. His military expertise and planning abilities led us to victory in world war two. The same made the Marshall plan so effective in reviving Europe’s down economy and standard of living. As secretary of state and defense his leadership skills and reputation as an honest man made him the perfect fit for the job. To say the least, George Marshall had a vast influence over this country while he was in power.

On September 1st 1939, the same day that Germany invaded Poland, George Marshall was appointed the army chief of staff by president Roosevelt. This promoted him from a one to a four star general. Although this was sudden and dramatic, so was the situation in Europe. Even before the attacks on Pearl Harbor and our direct involvement in world war two, Marshall called for military preparedness. Fearing that we would be caught off guard, he spoke to congress about our severely undersized army. After hearing Marshall speak, congress enacted a peace time draft which enhanced the number of troops from 180,000 ...

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