Fifty years after it was launched, the Marshall Plan remains a major event of post World War II history. But what did it actually do for European reconstruction? To commemorate the opening of its historical archives to the public and their deposit at the European University Institute (EUI), the OECD invited a group of EUI historians to analyse the role played by the Marshall Plan and the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC) in the economic recovery of Europe.

This book examines the major moments punctuating OEEC history from the original offer of Marshall Aid in 1947 to the decision to create the OECD in 1960. It offers a history of the European economic reconstruction and contributes to discussions on models of co-operation favouring economic development, trade liberalisation and world economic integration.