CNN Cold War, Episode 3: Marshall Plan - 1947-1952 on AllMovie

With WWII at an end, the world soon faced a new challenge widely known as the Cold War. In 24 episodes, this series chronicles this war of ideologies, from its inception in the late '40s until the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. some 40 years later. With Europe and Japan absorbed in rebuilding their cities and economies, the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as the world's superpowers and standard bearers for incompatible political philosophies. Capitalism or Communism: The line was drawn in the sand. This episode shows how the rift extended even to postwar rehabilitation. Implemented by military hero and new Secretary of State General George C. Marshall, the Marshall Plan provided a comprehensive recovery program for Europe and Japan. For ideological reasons, Stalin refused to allow the countries of the Soviet Bloc, which suffered terrible losses during the war, to participate in the Marshall Plan.