The Marshall Plan: Benn Steil with Timothy Naftali

The dawn of the Cold War and the reverberations that can still be felt today.

At the end of World War II, the British empire was crumbling  just as Stalin's was beginning to rise. The U.S. government and secretary of state George C. Marshall planned the reconstruction of western Europe as a bulwark against communist authoritarianism. The subsequent creation of NATO, the European Union, and a collective Western identity continues to shape world events. But Stalin was determined to crush the Marshall Plan and undermine American power in Europe. The critical years from 1947 to 1949 witnessed the Prague coup, the Berlin blockade, and the division of Germany. In The Marshall Plan, Benn Steil provides critical context of the international landscape, showing that the tenuous balance of power and uncertainty of the late 1940s still has ramifications today.

Benn Steil is the senior fellow and director of international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations. He will be joined in conversation by NYU professor Timothy Naftali, who specializes in national security and presidential history.

FIRST COME, FIRST SEATED

Registration does not guarantee admission. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A stand by line will form thirty minutes before the program.

The Program Room opens at 6 PM.