American political and economic doctrine in post-war reconstruction of Europe (the second half of the 1940s – early 1950s): historical lessons for Ukraine

Abstract

In the context of the current tasks facing Ukraine as a result of the ongoing armed aggression of the Russian Federation and growing human losses and destruction of economic potential, it is important to rethink the historical experience of reconstruction plans and foreign aid to European countries in the second half of the 1940s – early 1950s. The purpose of the article is to assess the possibilities and reservations regarding the provision of large-scale foreign aid to Ukraine based on a study of the setting and implementation of the goals of the US foreign economic policy during the reconstruction of Europe after World War II. General scientific approaches of interdisciplinarity, synergetics and evolutionism, methods of empirical history, hermeneutic analysis of historical documents, and a systemic approach to generalizing economic trends and determining cause-and-effect relationships are used. It was established that the prerequisites for the provision of foreign aid were strong mutual interest: the US economy needed market expansion, and European countries needed humanitarian aid and restoration of economic potential. The political determinants of the development of post-war reconstruction projects were opposition to Soviet expansion and socialist ideology, which was gaining popularity. The ideas of spreading the principles of democracy and free trade, promoting investments, and stabilizing economies for general security and development served as the doctrinal basis of the US foreign policy. The principles of American aid envisaged ensuring the growing self-sufficiency of the economic revival of Europe; receiving dividends from reconstruction assistance; stimulation of technological renewal of the US economy. The organizational, financial, and technological components of the post-war reconstruction plans ensured the achievement of the main goals – restoration of production, modernization of infrastructure, stabilization of finances and international settlements. The formed institutional structure of economic cooperation and management of post-war recovery contributed to the realization of the objective function of providing foreign aid - the return to self-sustaining economic development of Europe and the expansion of the area of the free market for the international movement of goods and capital. The criteria for achieving the goals of the United States, which were established during the development of plans for assistance in the post-war reconstruction of European countries, are defined as: creation of new markets for American goods, return of investments and receipt of income; ensuring high rates of economic growth both in the USA and in the countries of Western Europe; reduction of investment risks; technological renewal of production; reduction of trade barriers in international trade; institutional support for US global leadership; effective opposition to the Soviet bloc and the international communist movement. The effectiveness of American plans and measures of post-war reconstruction as a way of forming a new institutional order of the world economy has been confirmed. Based on the analysis of the historical experience of foreign aid in the post-war reconstruction of European countries, the main lessons for modern Ukraine are summarized: 1) donor countries should be economically interested in providing aid; 2) Ukraine must develop and implement institutional-legal and organizational-management mechanisms for realizing its own economic interests and defending national priorities.