‘Importance of Germany to Countries around and to World Economy makes it impossible to ignore’ – The Rockefeller Foundation and Public Health in Germany after WWII

Abstract

After WWII, the restoration of medical care and Public Health Service were the most important goals of the allied forces in Germany. They saw a connection between the population’s health condition and its economic prosperity, which the Western Allies perceived as prerequisite for democracy. The allies participated in reforming the social security system. The Rockefeller Foundation provided grants for the modernisation of public health in Germany by initiating a transatlantic visitation program and a school of Public Health. This involvement stands in connection with the European Recovery Program and can be understood as an addition to US–American economic plan.