Opinion of the Marshall Plan

[© tweed]

it was designed to build the post-WW2 Europe business interests wanted to see.  barring interference, parties loyal to Stalin may have been democratically elected (and almost were in Italy, and may have been without CIA interference).

if it was done simply out of good nature they would've given money to the USSR too, which sustained almost incomprehensible losses during WW2.

[© tweed]

it was designed to build the post-WW2 Europe business interests wanted to see.  barring interference, parties loyal to Stalin may have been democratically elected (and almost were in Italy, and may have been without CIA interference).

if it was done simply out of good nature they would've given money to the USSR too, which sustained almost incomprehensible losses during WW2.

They. F'ing. Did. Offer. Aid. To. The. USSR.

because it wasn't a blank check.  it came with conditions.

[© tweed]

it's more complicated than that.  here's a good essay on the situation, which makes used of recently declassified Soviet and American documents.

http://wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/ACFB73.pdf

[© tweed]

Americans: ... and you must at least trade with us, which seems fair.

you don't see how this was a massive issue?  allowing 'free trade' between E. Europe and the West, essentially interlocking E. Europe with global capitalism would carry high risk if not utter certaity of 'destabilization' of the region from Stalin's perspective.  and that's exactly why the Americans insisted on it.

[© tweed]

Americans: ... and you must at least trade with us, which seems fair.

you don't see how this was a massive issue?  allowing 'free trade' between E. Europe and the West, essentially interlocking E. Europe with global capitalism would carry high risk if not utter certaity of 'destabilization' of the region from Stalin's perspective.  and that's exactly why the Americans insisted on it.

So you basically want the US just to hand them money for no reason?

why not, if the Americans are/were as good hearted as you suggest?  without the USSR's unfathomable sacrifice during WW2 there would be no Europe to haggle over.

[© tweed]

..as did the West.  do you have no sympathy for the victims of the Blitzkrieg?