Assess the role played by the Marshall Plan in United States' economic imperialism in Europe.

The Marshall Plan, commonly called the European Recovery Program, was a plan developed by the United States after World War II ended to keep communism from spreading in Europe. The Soviet Union was trying to spread communism while we were trying to prevent it from spreading. We gave economic aid to European countries that were fighting the spread of communism. For example, we gave aid to both Greece and Turkey. Neither of these countries became communist. We believed that if a country's economy was strong, they would be less likely to turn to communism. Since Secretary of State Marshall announced this plan, it is also called the Marshall Plan. 

By providing economic aid to some of the European countries, the United States was able to spread its economic influence in Europe. When the European countries received the aid from the United States, they often spent the money on products made in the United States. This helped keep people in the United States employed, which was good for our economy. The development of this program was part of the reason why we were prosperous after World War II ended. 

The United States not only spread its economic influence in Europe with this plan, it also helped our economy at home.