With Britain's empire collapsing and Stalin ascendent, U.S. officials set out to reconstruct Western Europe as a bulwark against communist authoritariansim. This is the story of the Marshall Plan and the birth of the Cold War: a gripping account of the seminal episodes marking the post-WWII collapse of U.S.-Soviet relations. The Marshall Plan has become a favorite analogy for policymakers. Yet few know much about it. Finally, Benn Steil provides a readable, authoritative account of what it was, what it did, and what it achieved.