The Marshall Plan, officially the European Recovery Program, was an American initiative to provide over $13 billion (equivalent to roughly $150 billion today) in economic assistance to help rebuild Western European economies after World War II. Named after Secretary of State George C. Marshall, the plan aimed to prevent the spread of communism by stabilizing war-torn nations and restoring industrial and agricultural production. It encouraged European cooperation and laid the groundwork for the eventual formation of the European Union. While the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellites were invited to participate, they were forced by Stalin to decline, leading to a stark economic and political divide in Europe known as the 'Iron Curtain.' The plan is often cited as a masterstroke of diplomacy that secured Western Europe's alignment with the United States.