James Holland

And he then gives that speech on the 12th of March, which becomes known as the Truman Doctrine, and where he outlines that vision of America and helping people maintain their own self-determination, which we began episode one with.

And the press reacted very positively, so did Congress.

They agreed to support Turkey and Greece with financial aid.

And Truman signs it into law.

And the package is worth $400 million, which is a lot of money in those days.

Yeah, a lot of money back then.

And then Marshall visits Moscow for talks with Stalin in person and the Soviet leadership.

And there's other concerns around the world, which is why they eventually get embroiled in the Korean War and Vietnam and all the rest of this, all because of their worries about...

The spread of communism.

Yes, and he's absolutely right.

And this is, again, I cannot stress enough just how completely radical this is.

The idea that the victors are bailing out the vanquished.

Which also comes on Truman's watch, by the way.

Yes, of course.

It is amazing that after this catastrophe, after this series of catastrophe, decades of financial disaster and calamity and destruction and loss of life and all the rest of it, 1948 to 1942 is the period of fastest growth ever in European history.

Yeah.

And industrial productivity grows by 40%.

Food production surpasses pre-war levels, thanks to the rapid increase in mechanization and new tech, much of which has been developed during the war, of course.

The rubble is cleared, poverty and starvation start to ease.

And the Marshall Plan also has massive financial benefits for the U.S.,