Implementing the Marshall Plan in Greece: Balancing Reconstruction and Geopolitical Security

Abstract

Implementation of the Marshall Plan in Greece involved a multitude of variables, unlike those associated with its implementation in any other European Recovery Program (ERP) recipient state, making Greece unique among the 16 member states of the ERP. A preeminent factor, but not one exclusively responsible for this, was the Greek Civil War which polarized political factions, hindered the development of major long term projects, and subjected the state to the maintenance of a disproportionate military budget which acted as a deterrent to development. It was under these circumstances that Marshall Planners were called to act, attempting to stabilize socioeconomic factors in Greece on the hardening geopolitical battleground of the Cold War, while at the same time setting the necessary foundations of a formidable ally with a competitive market economy.