by James Hickman
Schiff Sovereign
On June 5, 1947, US Secretary of State George Marshall gave the commencement speech at Harvard University.
This was just two years after the end of World War II, and in this speech, he first proposed giving $12 billion (approximately $170 billion in 2024 dollars) in economic assistance to help rebuild Western European economies ravaged by the war.
But it was about more than just throwing money at the problem.
What became known as the Marshall Plan was also meant to remove trade barriers, increase economic cooperation between countries, and prevent the spread of communism.
